UC-NRLF 


meron  rnae 


MARYJ.HOLMES 


- 


THE  CAMERON  PRIDE 


OR 


PURIFIED  BY  SUFFERING 


BY 

MRS.  MARY  J.  HOLMES 

AUTHOR  OF  "TEMPEST  AND  SUNSHINE,"  "HUGH  WORTHINGTON,' 

"LENA    RIVERS,"  ETC.,   ETC. 


NEW  YORK 
HURST    &    COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


MARY  J.  HOLMES  SERIES 

UNIFORM   WITH    THIS   VOLUME 

By  MARY  J.  HOLMES 


.Aikensiele. 
;Ba4  Hugir. 


Darkness  and  Daylight. 
Dora  Deane. 
Edith  Lyle's  Secret. 
English  Orphans,  The. 
Ethelyn's  Mistake. 
Family  Pride. 

Homestead  on  the  Hill 
side,  The. 

Hugh  Worthington. 

Leighton      Homestead, 
The. 


Lena  Rivers. 

Maggie  Miller. 
Marion  Grey. 
Meadow  Brook. 

Mildred  ;  or,  The  Child 
of  Adoption. 

Millbank ;     or,     Roger 
Irving 's  Ward. 

Miss  McDonald. 

Rector    of   St.    Marks, 
The. 

Rosamond. 
Rose  Mather.  , 
Tempest  and  Sunshine. 


Price,  postpaid,  ^oc.  each,  or  any  three 
books  for  $1.25 

HURST  &  COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS,  NEW  YORK 


HS 


TO 

MY  BROTHER, 

Tktrfte  Ibawes, 

IN  MEMORY  OF  THE  OCTOBER  DAY  WHEN  WE  RAMBLED  OVER  THE 

SILVERTON  HILLS, 

WHERE   MORRIS   AND   KITTY  LIVED, 

THIS  VOLUME 
IS  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED, 

Brown  Cottage,  February  22,  1867. 


961739 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAOJC 

I.  The  Farm-house  at  Silverton 7 

II.  Linwood 19 

III.  Wilford  Cameron 26 

IV.  Preparing  for  the  Visit .  35 

V.  Wilford's  Visit 41 

VI.  In  the  Spring     51 

VII.  Wilford's  Second  Visit 58 

VIII.  Getting  Ready  to  be  Married 68 

IX.  Before  the  Marriage 79 

X.  Marriage  at  St.  John's ...  85 

XL  After  the  Marriage 89 

XII.  First  Months  of  Married  Life 99 

XIII.  Katy's  First  Evening  in  New  York 109 

XIV.  Extracts  from  Bell  Cameron's  Diary 121 

XV.  Toning  Down— Bell's  Diary  Continued 124 

XVI.  Katy 136 

XVII.  The  New  House 135 

XVIII.  Marian  Hazelton 144 

XIX.  Saratoga  and  Newport 151 

XX.  Mark  Ray  at  Silverton 156 

XXI.  A  New  Life  1G9 

XXII.  Helen  in  Society 183 

XXIII.  Baby's  Name 193 

XXIV.  Trouble  in  the  Household 198 

XXV.  Aunt  Betsy  goes  on  a  Journey 211 

XXVI.  Aunt  Betsy  Consults  a  Lawyer 226 

XXVII.  The  Dinner  Party 234 


6  Contents. 

CHAPTER  PAOE 

XXVIII.  The  Seventh  Regiment 241 

XXIX.  Katy  goes  to  Silverton 247 

XXX.  Little  Genevra 259 

XXXI.  After  the  Funeral 269 

XXXII.  The  First  Wife 274 

XXXIII.  What  the  Page  Disclosed  281 

XXXIV.  The  Effect 290 

XXXV.  The  Interview , 292 

XXXVI.  The  Fever  and  its  Results 302 

XXXVII.  The  Confession 308 

XXXVIII.  Domestic  Troubles 316 

XXXIX.  What  Followed 327 

XL.  Mark  and  Helen 331 

XLI.  Christmas  Eve  at  Silverton 335 

XLII.  After  Christmas  Eve 345 

XLIII.  Georgetown  Hospital 349 

XLIV.  Last  Hours 359 

XLV.  Mourning  366 

XLVI.  Prisoners  of  War 368 

XLVII.  Doctor  Grant 372 

XLVIII.  Katy ; 385 

XLIX.  The  Prisoners 390 

L.  The  Day  of  the  Wedding 396 

LI.  The  Wedding 404 

LII.  Conclusion 408 


THE  CAMERON  PRIDE; 

OR,  PURIFIED  BY  SUFFERING. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

THE  FARM-HOUSE  AT  SILVERTON. 

UNCLE  EPHRAIM  BARLOW  was  an  old-fashioned  man, 
clinging  to  the  old-time  customs  of  his  fathers,  and  looking 
with  but  little  toleration  upon  what  he  termed  the  "  new 
fangled  notions "  of  the  present  generation.  Born  and 
reared  amid  the  rocks  and  hills  of  the  Bay  State,  his  nature 
partook  largely  of  the  nature  of  his  surroundings,  and  he 
grew  into  manhood  with  many  a  rough  point  adhering 
to  his  character,  which,  nevertheless,  taken  as  a  whole,  was, 
like  the  wild  New  England  scenery,  beautiful  and  grand. 
None  knew  Uncle  Ephraim  Barlow  but  to  respect  him,  and 
at  the  church  in  which  he  was  a  deacon,  few  would  have 
been  missed  more  than  the  tall,  muscular  man,  with  the 
long  white  hair,  who,  Sunday  after  Sunday,  walked  slowly 
up  the  middle  aisle  to  his  accustomed  seat  before  the  altar, 
and  who  regularly  passed  the  contribution  box,  bowing  in 
voluntarily  in  token  of  approbation  when  a  neighbor's  gift 
was  larger  than  its  wont,  and  gravely  dropping  in  his  own 
ten  cents — never  more,  never  less,  always  ten  cents — his 
weekly  offering,  which  he  knew  amounted  in  a  year  to 
just  five  dollars  and  twenty  cents.  And  still  Uncle 
Ephraim  was  not  stingy,  as  the  Silverton  poor  could 
testify,  for  many  a  load  of  wood  and  bag  of  meal  found 
entrance  to  the  doors  where  cold  and  hunger  would  have 
otherwise  been,  while  to  his  minister  he  was  literally  a 
holder  up  of  the  weary  hands,  and  a  comforter  in  the  time 
of  trouble. 

His  helpmeet,  Aunt  Hannah,  like  that  virtuous  woman 


8  The  Cameron  Pride. 

mentioned  in  the  Bible,  was  one  "who  seeketh  wool  and 
tflax,;  <artd  jtforiceth  -willingly  with  her  hands,  who  riseth 
wtiile  yet  it  is  night,  and  giveth  meat  to  her  household," 
while  Miss  Betsy  Barlow,  the  deacon's  maiden  sister,  was 
a  character  in  her  way,  and  bore  no  resemblance  to  those 
frivolous  females  to  whom  the  Apostle  Paul  had  reference 
when  he  condemned  the  plaiting  of  hair  and  the  wearing 
of  gold  and  jewels.  Quaint,  queer  and  simple-hearted, 
she  had  but  little  idea  of  any  world  this  side  of  heaven, 
except  the  one  bounded  by  the  "  huckleberry "  hills  and 
the  crystal  waters  of  Fairy  Pond,  which  from  the  back 
door  of  the  farm-house  were  plainly  seen,  both  in  the  sum 
mer  sunshine  and  when  the  intervening  fields  were  covered 
-with  the  winter  snow. 

The  home  of  such  a  trio  was,  like  themselves,  ancient 
and  unpretentious,  nearly  one  hundred  years  having  elapsed 
since  the  solid  foundation  was  laid  to  a  portion  of  the 
building.  Unquestionably  it  was  the  oldest  house  in 
Silverton,  for  on  the  heavy  oaken  door  of  what  was  called 
the  back  room  was  still  to  be  seen  the  mark  of  a  bullet, 
left  there  by  some  marauders  who,  during  the  Revolution, 
had  encamped  in  that  neighborhood.  George  Washington, 
it  was  said,  had  spent  a  night  beneath  its  roof,  the  deacon's 
mother  pouring  for  him  her  Bohea  tea  and  breaking  her 
home-made  bread.  Since  that  time  several  attempts  had 
been  made  to  modernize  the  house.  Lath  and  plaster  had 
been  put  upon  the  rafters  and  paper  upon  the  walls, 
wooden  latches  had  given  place  to  iron,  while  in  the  parlor, 
where  Washington  had  slept,  there  was  the  extravagance 
of  a  porcelain  knob,  such,  as  Uncle  Ephraim  said,  was 
only  fit  for  gentry  who  could  afford  to  be  grand.  For 
himself  he  was  content  to  live  as  his  father  did ;  but  young 
folks,  he  supposed,  must  in  some  things  have  their  way, 
and  so  when  his  pretty  niece,  who  had  lived  with  him 
from  childhood  to  the  day  of  her  marriage,  came  back 
to  him  a  widow,  bringing  her  two  fatherless  children  and 
a  host  of  new  ideas,  he  good-humoredly  suffered  her  to 
tear  down  some  of  his  household  idols  and  replace  them 
with  her  own.  And  thus  it  was  that  the  farm-house  grad 
ually  changed  its  appearance,  for  young  womanhood  which 
lias  had  one  glimpse  of  the  outer  world  will  not  settle 


The  Cameron  Fnde. 


down  quietly  amid  fashions  a  century  old.  t  ,Lucy.  Lennox, 
when  she  returned  to  the  farm-hou^e,  ^a^not'^ute  "the 
same  as  when  she  went  away.  InSeed,  Aunt  Betsy  in  her 
guileless  heart  feared  that  she  had  actually  fallen  from 
grace,  imputing  the  fall  wholly  to  Lucy's  predilection  for 
a  certain  little  book  on  whose  back  was  written  "  Common 
Prayer/*  and  at  which  Aunt  Betsy  scarcely  dared  to  looky 
lest  she  should  be  guilty  of  the  enormities  practiced  by 
the  Romanists  themselves.  Clearer  headed  than  his  sister, 
the  deacon  read  the  black-bound  book,  finding  therein 
much  that  was  good,  but  wondering  "  why,  when  folks 
promised  to  renounce  the  pomps  and  vanities,  they  did  not 
do  so,  instead  of  acting  more  stuck  up  than  ever."  In 
consistency  was  the  underlying  strata  of  the  whole  Epis 
copal  Church,  he  said,  and  as  Lucy  had  declared  her  prefer 
ence  for  that  church,  he  too,  in  a  measure,  charged  her 
propensity  for  repairs  to  the  same  source  with  Aunt  Betsy; 
but,  as  he  could  see  no  sin  in  what  she  did,  he  suffered 
hr  in  most  things  to  have  her  way.  But  when  she  con 
templated  an  attack  upon  the  huge  chimney  occupying  the 
centre  of  the  building,  he  interfered ;  for  there  was  nothing 
he  liked  better  than  the  bright  fire  on  the  hearth  when 
the  evenings  grew  chilly  and  long,  and  the  autumn  rain 
was  falling  upon  the  roof.  The  chimney  should  stand, 
he  said;  and  as  no  amount  of  coaxing  could  prevail  on 
him  to  revoke  his  decision,  the  chimney  stood,  and  with 
it  the  three  fire-places,  where,  in  the  fall  and  spring,  were 
burned  the  twisted  knots  too  bulky  for  the  kitchen  stove. 
This  was  fourteen  years  ago,  and  in  that  lapse  of  time 
Lucy  Lennox  had  gradually  fallen  in  with  the  family  ways? 
of  living,  and  ceased  to  talk  of  her  cottage  in  western  New 
York,  where  her  husband  had  died  and  where  were  born* 
her  daughters,  one  of  whom  she  was  expecting  home  on 
the  warm  July  day  when  our  story  opens. 

Katy  Lennox  had  been  for  a  year  an  inmate  of  Canan- 
daigua  Seminary,  whither  she  was  sent  at  the  expense  of 
a  distant  relative  to  whom  her  father  had  been  guardian, 
and  who,  during  her  infancy,  had  had  a  home  with  Uncle 
Ephraim,  Mrs.  Lennox  having  brought  him  with  her  when 
she  returned  to  Silverton.  Dr.  Morris  Grant  he  was  now, 
and  he  had  just  come  home  from  a  three  years'  sojourn 


io  .  Th.-er Cameron  Pride. 


,  in  Paris,  and,  .was  Jivmg  in  his  own  handsome  dwelling 
a£f .CK3S  the  fielflfe  ^totfa'.rd  Silverton  village,  and  half  a  mile 
or  more  from  tlricle  Ephraim's  farm-house.  He  had 
written  from  Paris,  offering  to  send  his  cousins,  Helen  and 
Kate,  to  any  school  their  mother  might  select,  and  as 
Canandaigua  was  her  choice,  they  had  both  gone  thither 
the  year  before,  but  Helen,  the  eldest,  had  fallen  sick 
within  the  first  three  months,  and  returned  to  Silverton, 
satisfied  that  the  New  England  schools  were  good  enough 
for  her.  This  was  Helen;  but  Katy  was  different.  Katy 
was  more  susceptible  of  polish  and  refinement — so  the 
mother  thought;  and  as  she  arranged  and  rearranged  the 
little  parlor,  lingering  longest  by  the  piano,  Dr.  Morris's 
gift,  she  drew  bright  pictures  of  her  favorite  child,  won 
dering  how  the  farm-house  and  its  inmates  would  seem 
to  her  after  all  she  must  have  seen  during  her  weeks  of 
travel  since  the  close  of  the  summer  term.  And  then 
she  wondered  why  cousin  Morris  was  so  annoyed  when  told 
that  Katy  had  accepted  an  invitation  to  accompany  Mrs. 
Woodhull  and  her  party  on  a  trip  to  Montreal  and  Lake 
GTeorge,  taking  Boston  on  her  homeward  route.  Katy's 
movements  were  nothing  to  him,  unless — and  the  little  am 
bitious  mother  struck  at  random  a  few  notes  of  the  soft- 
toned  piano  as  she  thought  how  possible  it  was  that  the 
interest  always  manifested  by  staid,  quiet  Morris  Grant 
for  her  light-hearted  Kate  was  more  than  a  brotherly  in 
terest,  such  as  he  would  naturally  feel  for  the  daughter  of 
one  who  had  been  to  him  a  second  father.  But  Katy  was 
so  much  a  child  when  he  went  away  to  Paris  that  it  could 
not  be.  She  would  sooner  think  of  Helen,  who  was  more 
like  him. 

"  It's  Helen,  if  anybody,"  she  said  aloud,  just  as  a  voice 
near  the  window  called  out,  "  Please,  Cousin  Lucy,  relieve 
me  of  these  flowers.  I  brought  them  over  in  honor  of 
Katy's  return." 

Blushing  guiltily,  Mrs.  Lennox  advanced  to  meet  a  tall, 
dark-looking  man,  with  a  grave,  pleasant  face,  which,  when 
he  smiled,  was  strangely  attractive,  from  the  sudden  light 
ing  up  of  the  hazel  eyes  and  the  glitter  of  the  white,  even 
teeth  disclosed  so  fully  to  view. 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  Morris !     Katy  will  like  them,  I  am 


The  Cameron  Pride.  n 

sure,"  Mrs.  Lennox  said,  taking  from  his  hand  a  bouquet 
of  the  choice  flowers  which  grew  only  in  the  hothouse  at 
Linwood.  "  Come  in  for  a  moment,  please." 

"  No,  thank  you,"  the  doctor  replied.  "  There  is  a  case 
of  rheumatism  just  over  the  hill,  and  I  must  not  be  idle 
if  I  would  retain  the  practice  given  to  me.  Not  that  I 
make  anything  but  good  will  as  yet,  for  only  the  Silverton 
poor  dare  trust  their  lives  in  my  inexperienced  hands. 
But  I  can  afford  to  wait,"  and  with  another  flash  of  the 
hazel  eyes  Morris  walked  away  a  pace  or  two,  then,  as  if 
struck  with  some  sudden  thought,  turned  back,  and  fanning 
his  heated  face  with  his  leghorn  hat,  said,  hesitatingly, 
"By  the  way,  Uncle  Ephraim's  last  payment  on  the  old 
mill  falls  due  to-morrow.  Tell  him,  if  he  says  anything 
in  your  presence,  not  to  mind  unless  it  is  perfectly  con 
venient.  He  must  be  somewhat  straitened  just  now,  as 
Katy's  trip  cannot  have  cost  him  a  small  sum." 

The  clear,  penetrating  eyes  were  looking  full  at  Mrs, 
Lennox,  who  for  a  moment  felt  slightly  piqued  that  Morris 
Grant  should  take  so  much  oversight  of  her  uncle's  affairs. 
It  was  natural,  too,  that  he  should,  she  knew,  for  there 
was  a  strong  liking  between  the  old  man  and  the  young, 
the  latter  of  whom,  having  lived  nine  years  in  the  family, 
took  a  kindly  interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  it. 

"  Uncle  Ephraim  did  not  pay  the  bills,"  Mrs.  Lennox 
faltered  at  last,  feeling  intuitively  how  Morris's  delicate 
sense  of  propriety  would  shrink  from  her  next  communica 
tion.  "Mrs.  Woodhull  wrote  that  the  expense  should  be 
nothing  to  me,  and  as  she  is  fully  able  and  makes  so  much 
of  Katy,  I  did  not  think  it  wrong." 

"  Lucy  Lennox !  I  am  astonished ! "  was  all  Morris 
could  say,  as  the  tinge  of  wounded  pride  dyed  his  cheek. 

Kate  was  a  connection — distant,  it  is  true ;  but  his  blood 
was  in  her  veins,  and  his  inborn  pride  shrank  from  receiv 
ing  so  much  from  strangers,  while  he  wondered  at  her 
mother,  feeling  more  and  more  convinced  that  what  he 
had  so  long  suspected  was  literally  true.  Mrs.  Lennox  was 
weak,  Mrs.  Lennox  was  ambitious,  and  for  the  sake  of 
associating  her  daughter  with  people  whom  the  world  had 
placed  above  her  she  would  stoop  to  accept  that  upon  which 
she  had  no  claim. 


12  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"  Mrs.  Woodhull  was  so  urgent  and  so  fond  of  Katy ; 
and  then  I  thought  it  well  to  give  her  the  advantage  of 
being  with  such  people  as  compose  that  party,  the  very 
first  in  Canandaigua,  besides  some  from  New  York,"  Mrs. 
X/ennox  began  in  self-defence,  but  Morris  did  not  stop  to 
hear  more,  and  hurried  off  a  second  time,  while  Mrs. 
Lennox  looked  after  him,  wondering  at  the  feeling  which 
she  could  not  understand.  "  If  Katy  can  go  with  the 
Woodhulls  and  their  set,  I  certainly  shall  not  prevent  it," 
she  thought,  as  she  continued  her  arrangement  of  the 
parlor,  wishing  that  it  was  more  like  what  she  remembered 
Mrs.  Woodhull's  to  have  been,  fifteen  years  ago. 

Of  course  that  lady  had  kept  up  with  the  times,  and  if 
her  old  house  was  finer  than  anything  Mrs.  Lennox  had 
ever  seen,  what  must  her  new  one  be,  with  all  the  modern 
improvements?  and  leaning  her  head  upon  the  mantel, 
Mrs.  Lennox  thought  how  proud  she  should  be  could  she 
live  to  see  her  daughter  in  similar  circumstances  to  the 
envied  Mrs.  Woodhull,  at  that  moment  in  the  crowded 
car  between  Boston  and  Silverton,  tired,  hot,  and  dusty, 
and  as  nearly  cross  as  a  fashionable  lady  can  be. 

A  call  from  Uncle  Ephraim  roused  her,  and  going  out 
into  the  square  entry  she  tied  his  linen  cravat,  and  then 
handing  him  the  blue  umbrella,  an  appendage  he  took 
with  him  in  sunshine  and  in  storm,  she  watched  him  as 
he  stepped  into  his  one-horse  wagon  and  drove  briskly 
away  in  the  direction  of  the  depot,  where  he  was  to  meet 
his  niece. 

"  I  wish  Cousin  Morris  had  offered  his  carriage,"  she 
thought,  as  the  corn-colored  wagon  disappeared  from  view. 
"  The  train  stops  five  minutes  at  West  Silverton,  and 
some  of  those  grand  people  will  be  likely  to  see  the  turn 
out,"  and  with  a  sigh  as  she  doubted  whether  it  were  not 
a  disgrace  as  well  as  an  inconvenience  to  be  poor,  she 
repaired  to  the  kitchen,  where  sundry  savory  smells  be 
tokened  a  plentiful  dinner. 

Bending  over  the  sink,  with  her  cap  strings  tucked 
back,  her  sleeves  rolled  up,  and  her  short  purple  calico 
shielded  from  harm  by  her  broad  check  apron,  Aunt  Betsy 
stood  cleaning  the  silvery  onions,  and  occasionally  wiping 
her  dim  old  eyes  as  the  odor  proved  too  strong  for  her. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  13 

At  another  table  stood  Aunt  Hannah,  deep  in  the  mysteries 
of  the  light  white  crust  which  was  to  cover  the  tender 
chicken  boiling  in  the  pot,  while  in  the  oven  bubbled  and 
baked  the  custard  pie,  remembered  as  Katy's  favorite,  and 
prepared  for  her  coming  by  Helen  herself — plain-spoken, 
dark-eyed  Helen — now  out  in  the  strawberry  beds,  picking 
the  few  luscious  berries  which  almost  by  a  miracle  had 
been  coaxed  to  wait  for  Katy,  who  loved  them  so  dearly. 
Like  her  mother,  Helen  had  wondered  how  the  change 
would  impress  her  bright  little  sister,  for  she  remembered 
that  even  to  her  obtuse  perceptions  there  had  come  a  pang 
when  after  only  three  months  abiding  in  a  place  where 
the  etiquette  of  life  was  rigidly  enforced,  she  had  returned 
to  their  homely  ways  at  Silverton,  and  felt  that  it  was 
worse  than  vain  to  try  to  effect  a  change.  But  Helen's 
strong  sense,  with  the  help  of  two  or  three  good  cries,  had 
carried  her  safely  through,  and  her  humble  home  among 
the  hills  was  very  dear  to  her  now.  But  she  was  Helen, 
as  the  mother  had  said ;  she  was  different  from  Katy,  who 
might  be  lonely  and  homesick,  sobbing  herself  to  sleep 
in  her  patient  sisters  arms,  as  she  did  on  that  first  night 
in  Canandaigua,  which  Helen  remembered  so  well. 

"  It's  better,  too,  now  than  when  I  came  home,"  Helen 
thought,  as  with  her  rich,  scarlet  fruit  she  went  slowly  to 
the  house.  ee  Morris  is  hore,  and  the  new  church,  and  if 
she  likes  she  can  teach  *  Sunday-school,  though  maybe 
she  will  prefer  going  with  Uncle  Ephraim.  He  will  be 
pleased  if  she  does,"  and  pausing  by  the  door,  Helen 
looked  across  Fairy  Pond  in  the  direction  of  Silverton  vil 
lage,  where  the  top  of  a  slender  spire  was  just  visible — 
the  spire  of  St.  John's,  built  within  the  year,  and  mostly 
at  the  expense  of  Dr.  Morris  Grant,  who,  a  zealous  church 
man  himself,  had  labored  successfully  to  instill  into  Helen's 
mind  some  of  his  own  peculiar  views,  as  well  as  to  awaken 
in  Mrs.  Lennox's  heart  the  professions  which  had  lain 
dormant  for  as  long  a  time  as  the  little  black  bound  book 
had  lain  on  the  cupboard  shelf,  forgotten  and  unread. 

How  the  doctor's  views  were  regarded  by  the  Deacon's 
family  we  shall  see,  by  and  by.  At  present  our  story  has 
to  do  with  Helen,  holding  her  bowl  of  berries  by  the  rear 
door  and  looking  across  the  distant  fields.  With  one  last 


14  The  Cameron  Pride. 

glance  at  the  object  of  her  thoughts  she  re-entered  the 
house,  where  her  mother  was  arranging  the  square  table 
for  dinner,  bringing  out  the  white  stone  china  instead 
of  the  mulberry  set  kept  for  every  day  use. 

"  We  ought  to  have  some  silver  forks,"  she  said  despond- 
ingly,  as  she  laid  by  each  plate  the  three  tined  forks  of 
steel,  to  pay  for  which  Helen  and  Katy  had  picked  huckle 
berries  on  the  hills  and  dried  apples  from  the  orchard. 

"  Never  mind,  mother,"  Helen  answered  cheerily :  "  if 
Katy  is  as  she  used  to  be  she  will  care  more  for  us  than 
for  silver,  and  I  guess  she  is,  for  I  imagine  it  would  take 
a  great  deal  to  make  her  anything  but  a  warmhearted, 
merry  little  creature." 

This  was  sensible  Helen's  tribute  of  affection  to  the 
little,  gay,  chattering  butterfly,  at  that  moment  an  occu 
pant  of  Uncle  Bphraim's  corn-colored  wagon,  and  riding 
with  that  worthy  toward  home,  throwing  kisses  to  every 
barefoot  boy  and  girl  she  met,  and  screaming  with  delight 
as  the  old  familiar  waymarks  met  her  view. 

"  There  is  Aunt  Betsy,  with  her  dress  pinned  up  as 
usual,"  she  cried,  when  at  last  the  wagon  stopped  before 
the  door,  and  the  four  women  came  hurriedly  out  to  meet 
her,  almost  smothering  her  with  caresses,  and  then  hold 
ing  her  off  to  see  if  she  had  changed. 

She  was  very  stylish  in  her  pretty  traveling  dress  of 
gray,  made  under  Mrs.  Woodhull's  supervision,  and  nothing 
could  be  more  becoming  than  her  jaunty  hat,  tied  with 
ribbons  of  blue,  while  the  dainty  kids,  bought  to  match 
the  dress,  fitted  her  fat  hands  charmingly,  and  the  little 
high-heeled  boots  of  soft  prunella  were  faultless  in  their 
style.  She  was  very  attractive  in  her  personal  appearance, 
and  the  mental  verdict  of  the  four  females  regarding  her 
intently  was  something  as  follows:  Mrs.  Lennox  detected 
unmistakable  marks  of  the  grand  society  she  had  been 
mingling  in,  and  was  pleased  accordingly;  Aunt  Hannah 
pronounced  her  "  the  prettiest  creeter  she  had  ever  seen ; " 
Aunt  Betsy  decided  that  her  hoops  were  too  big  and  her 
clothes  too  fine  for  a  Barlow;  while  Helen,  who  looked 
beyond  dress,  or  style,  or  manner,  straight  into  her  sister's 
•oft  blue  eyes,  brimming  with  love  and  tears,  decided  that 
Katy  was  not  changed  for  the  worse.  Nor  was  she.  Truth- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  15 

ful,  loving,  simple-hearted  and  full  of  playful  life  she 
had  gone  from  home,  and  she  came  back  the  same,  never 
once  thinking  of  the  difference  between  the  farm-house  and 
Mrs.  Woodhull's  palace,  or  if  she  did,  giving  the  preference 
to  the  former. 

"  It  was  perfectly  splendid  to  get  home,"  she  said} 
handing  her  gloves  to  Helen,  her  sun-shade  to  her  mother, 
her  satchel  to  Aunt  Hannah,  and  tossing  her  bonnet  m 
the  vicinity  of  the  water  pail,  from  which  it  was  saved  by 
Aunt  Betsy,  who  put  it  carefully  in  the  press,  examining 
it  closely  first  and  wondering  how  much  it  cost. 

Deciding  that  "it  was  a  good  thumpin'  price/'  she  re 
turned  to  the  kitchen,  where  Katy,  dancing  and  curvetting 
in  circles,  scarcely  stood  still  long  enough  for  them  to  see 
that  in  spite  of  boarding-school  fare,  of  which  she  had 
complained  so  bitterly,  her  cheeks  were  rounder,  her  eyes 
brighter,  and  her  figure  fuller  than  of  old.  She  had  im 
proved,  but  she  did  not  appear  to  know  it,  or  to  guess 
how  beautiful  she  was  in  the  fresh  bloom  of  seventeen, 
with  her  golden  hair  waving  around  her  childish  forehead, 
and  her  deep  blue  eyes  laughing  so  expressively  with  each 
change  of  her  constantly  varying  face.  Everything  animate 
and  inanimate  pertaining  to  the  old  house,  came  in  for 
its  share  of  notice.  She  kissed  the  kitten,  squeezed  the 
cat,  hugged  the  dog,  and  hugged  the  little  goat,  tied  to  his 
post  in  the  clover  yard  and  trying  so  hard  to  get  free.  The 
horse,  to  whom  she  fed  handfuls  of  grass,  had  been  already 
hugged.  She  did  that  the  first  thing  after  strangling 
Uncle  Ephraim  as  she  alighted  from  the  train,  and  some 
from  the  car  window  saw  it,  smiling  at  what  they  termed 
the  charming  simplicity  of  an  enthusiastic  school-girl. 
Blessed  youth !  blessed  early  girlhood,  surrounded  by  » 
halo  of  rare  beauty!  It  was  Katy's  shield  and  buckler, 
warding  off  many  a  cold  criticism  which  might  otherwise 
have  been  passed  upon  her. 

They  were  sitting  down  to  dinner  now,  and  the  deacon's 
voice  trembled  as,  with  the  blessing  invoked,  he  thanked 
God  for  bringing  back  the  little  girl,  whose  head  was  for 
a  moment  bent  reverently,  but  quickly  lifted  itself  up  as 
its  owner,  in  the  same  breath  with  that  in  which  the 
deacon  uttered  his  amen,  declared  how  hungry  she  was, 


16  The  Cameron  Pride. 

and  went  into  rhapsodies  over  the  nicely  cooked  viands 
which  loaded  the  table.  The  best  bits  were  hers  that  day, 
and  she  refused  nothing  until  it  came  to  Aunt  Betsy's 
onions,  once  her  special  delight,  but  now  declined,  greatly 
to  the  distress  of  the  old  lady,  who  having  been  on  the 
watch  for  "  quirks,"  as  she  styled  any  departure  from  long 
established  customs,  now  knew  she  had  found  one,  and 
with  an  injured  expression  withdrew  the  offered  bowl,  say 
ing  sadly,  "  You  used  to  eat  'em  raw,  Catherine;  what's 
got  into  you  ?  " 

It  was  the  first  time  Aunt  Betsy  had  called  a  name  so 
obnoxious  to  Kate,  especially  when,  as  in  the  present  case, 
great  emphasis  was  laid  upon  the  rinc,  and  from  past  ex 
perience  Katy  knew  that  her  good  aunt  was  displeased. 
Her  first  impulse  was  to  accept  the  dish  refused ;  but  when 
she  remembered  her  reason  for  refusing  she  said,  laugh 
ingly,  "  Excuse  me,  Aunt  Betsy,  I  love  them  still,  but — 
but — well,  the  fact  is,  I  am  going  by  and  by  to  run  over 
and  see  Cousin  Morris,  inasmuch  as  he  was  not  polite 
enough  to  come  here,  and  you  know  it  might  not  be  so 
pleasant." 

"  The  land !  "  and  Aunt  Betsy  brightened.  "  If  that's- 
all,  eat  'em.  'Tain't  no  ways  likely  you'll  get  near  enough 
to  him  to  make  any  difference — only  turn  your  head  when 
you  shake  hands." 

But  Katy  remained  incorrigible,  while  Helen,  who 
guessed  that  her  impulsive  sister  was  contemplating  a 
warmer  greeting  of  the  doctor  than  a  mere  shaking  of  hi& 
hands,  kindly  turned  the  conversation  by  telling  how  Morris 
was  improved  by  his  tour  abroad,  and  how  much  the  poor 
people  thought  of  him. 

"  He  is  very  fine  looking,  too,"  she  said,  whereupon  Katy 
involuntarily  exclaimed,  "  I  wonder  if  he  is  as  handsome 
as  Wilford  Cameron?  Oh,  I  never  wrote  about  him,  did 
I?"  and  the  little  maiden  began  to  blush  as  she  stirred 
her  tea  industriously. 

"  Who  is  Wilford  Cameron  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Lennox. 

"  Oh,  he's  Wilford  Cameron,  that's  all ;  lives  on  Fifth 
Avenue — is  a  lawyer — is  very  rich — a  friend  of  Mrs.  Wood- 
hull,  and  was  with  us  in  our  travels,"  Kate  answered 
rapidly,  the  red  burning  on  her  cheeks  so  brightly  that 


The  Cameron  Pride.  17 

Aunt  Betsy  innocently  passed  her  a  big  feather  fan,  saying 
"  she  looked  mighty  hot." 

And  Katy  was  warm,  but  whether  from  talking  of  Wil- 
ford  Cameron  or  not  none  could  tell.  She  said  no  more 
of  him,  but  went  on  to  speak  of  Morris,  asking  if  it  were 
true,  as  she  had  heard,  that  he  built  the  new  church  in 
Silverton. 

"  Yes,  and  runs  it,  too,"  Aunt  Betsy  answered,  ener 
getically,  proceeding  to  tell  "what  goin's  on  they  had.  with 
the  minister  shiftin'  his  clothes  every  now  and  agin 
the  folks  all  talkin'  together.  Morris  got  me  in  once/'  MJG 
said,  "  and  I  thought  meetin'  was  let  out  half  a  dozen 
times,  so  much  hi?tin'  round  as  there  was.  I'd  as  soon  go 
to  a  show,  if  it  was  a  good  one,  and  I  told  Morris  so.  He 
laughed  and  said  I'd  feel  different  when  I  knew  'em  better; 
but  needn't  tell  me  that  prayers  made  up  is  as  good  as 
them  as  isn't,  though  Morris,  I  do  believe,  will  get  to 
Heaven  a  long  ways  ahead  of  me,  if  he  is  a  'Piscopal." 

To  this  there  was  no  response,  and  being  launched  on 
her  favorite  topic,  Aunt  Betsy  continued : 

"  If  you'll  believe  it,  Helen  here  is  one  of  'em,  and  has 
got  a  sight  of  'Piscopal  quirks  into  her  head.  Why,  she 
and  Morris  sing  that  talkin'-like  singin'  Sundays  when 
the  folks  get  up  and  Helen  plays  the  accordeon." 

"  Melodeon,  aunty,  melodeon,"  and  Helen  laughed 
merrily  at  her  aunt's  mistake,  turning  the  conversation 
again,  and  this  time  to  Canandaigua,  where  she  had  some 
acquaintances. 

But  Katy  was  so  much  afraid  of  Canandaigua,  and  what 
talking  of  it  might  lead  to,  that  she  kept  to  Cousin  Morris, 
asking  innumerable  questions  about  his  house  and  grounds, 
and  whether  there  were  as  many  flowers  there  now  as 
there  used  to  be  in  the  days  when  she  and  Helen  went  to 
say  their  lessons  at  Linwood,  as  they  had  done  before 
Morris  sailed  for  Europe. 

"  I  think  it  right  mean  in  him  not  to  be  here  to  see 
me/'  she  said,  poutingly,  "and  I  am  going  over  as  quick 
as  I  eat  my  dinner." 

But  against  this  all  exclaimed  at  once.  She  was  too 
tired,  the  mother  said,  she  must  lie  down  and  rest,  while 
Helen  suggested  that  she  had  not  told  them  about  her 


1 8  The  Cameron  Pride. 

trip,  and  Uncle  Ephraim  remarked  that  she  would  not 
find  Morris  at  home,  as  he  was  going  that  afternoon  to 
Spencer.  This  last  settled  it.  Katy  must  stay  at  home; 
but  instead  of  lying  down  or  talking  about  her  journey, 
she  explored  every  nook  and  crevice  of  the  old  house  and 
barn,  finding  the  nest  Aunt  Betsy  had  looked  for  in  vain, 
and  proving  to  the  anxious  dame  that  she  was  right  when 
she  insisted  that  the  speckled  hen  had  stolen  her  nest  and 
was  in  the  act  of  setting.  Later  in  the  day,  a  neighbor 
passing  by  spied  the  little  maiden  riding  in  the  cart  off 
into  the  meadow,  where  she  sported  like  a  child  among 
the  mounds  of  fragrant  hay,  playing  her  jokes  upon  the 
sober  deacon,  who  smiled  fondly  upon  her,  feeling  how 
much  lighter  the  labor  seemed  because  she  was  there  with 
him,  a  hindrance  instead  of  a  help,  in  spite  of  her  efforts 
to  handle  the  rake  skillfully. 

"  Are  you  glad  to  have  me  home  again,  Uncle  Eph  ?  " 
she  asked  when  once  she  caught  him  regarding  her  with 
a  peculiar  look. 

"  Yes,  Katy-did,  very  glad  ?  "  he  answered ;  "  I've  missed 
you  every  day,  though  you  do  nothing  much  but  bother 
me/' 

tf  Why  did  you  look  so  funny  at  me  just  now  ?  "  Kate 
continued,  and  the  deacon  replied :  "  I  was  thinking  how 
hard  it  would  be  for  such  a  highty-tighty  thing  as  you  to 
meet  the  crosses  and  disappointments  which  lie  all  along 
the  road  which  you  must  travel.  I  should  hate  to  see  your 
young  life  crushed  out  of  you,  as  young  lives  sometimes 
are?" 

"  Oh,  never  fear  for  me.  I  am  going  to  be  happy  all 
my  life  long.  Wilford  Cameron  said  I  ought  to  be,"  and 
Katy  tossed  into  the  air  a  wisp  of  the  new-made  hay. 

"I  don't  know  who  Wilford  Cameron  is,  but  there's  no 
ought  about  it,"  the  deacon  rejoined.  "  God  marks  out 
the  path  for  us  to  walk  in,  and  when  he  says  it's  best,  we 
know  it  is,  though  some  are  straight  and  pleasant  and 
others  crooked  and  hard." 

"  I'll  choose  the  straight  and  pleasant  then — why 
shouldn't  I  ?  "  Katy  asked,  laughing,  as  she  seated  herself 
upon  a  rock  near  which  the  hay  cart  had  stopped. 

"  Can't  tell  what  path  you'll  take,"  the  deacon  answered. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  19 

"  God  knows  whether  you'll  go  easy  through  the  world,  or 
whether  he'll  send  you  suffering  to  purify  and  make  you 
better." 

"  Purified  by  suffering,"  Katy  said  aloud,  while  a  shadow 
involuntarily  crept  for  an  instant  over  her  gay  spirits. 

She  could  not  believe  she  was  to  be  purified  by  suffering. 
She  had  never  done  anything  very  bad,  and  humming  a 
part  of  a  song  learned  from  Wilford  Cameron  she  followed 
after  the  loaded  cart,  returning  slowly  to  the  house,  think 
ing  to  herself  that  there  must  be  something  great  and 
good  in  the  suffering  which  should  purify  at  last,  but 
hoping  she  was  not  the  one  to  whom  this  great  good  should 
come. 

It  was  supper-time  ere  long,  and  after  that  was  over 
Katy  announced  her  intention  of  going  to  Linwood  whether 
Morris  were  there  or  not. 

"  I  can  see  the  housekeeper  and  the  birds  and  flowers," 
she  said,  as  she  swung  her  straw  hat  by  the  string  and 
started  from  the  door. 

"Ain't  Helen  goin^  with  you?"  Aunt  Hannah  asked, 
while  Helen  herself  looked  a  little  surprised. 

But  Katy  would  rather  go  alone.  She  had  a  heap  to 
tell  Cousin  Morris,  and  Helen  could  go  next  time. 

"  Just  as  you  like,"  Helen  answered,  good-naturedly,  and 
so  Katy  went  alone  to  call  on  Morris  Grant. 


CHAPTER  II. 

LINWOOD. 

MORRIS  had  returned  from  Spencer,  and  in  his  dressing- 
gown  and  slippers  was  sitting  by  the  window  of  his  library, 
looking  out  upon  the  purple  sunshine  flooding  the  western 
sky,  and  thinking  of  the  little  girl  coming  so  rapidly  up 
the  grassy  lane  in  the  rear  of  the  house.  He  was  going 
over  to  see  her  by  and  by,  he  said,  and  he  pictured  to  him 
self  how  she  must  look  by  this  time,  hoping  that  he  should 
not  find  her  greatly  changed,  for  Morris  Grant's  memories 
were  very  precious  of  the  play-child  who  used  to  tease  and 
worry  him  FO  much  with  her  lessons  poorly  learned,  and 
the  never-ending  jokes  played  off  upon  her  teacher.  He 
had  thought  of  her  so  often  when  across  the  sea,  and, 


2o  The  Cameron  Pride. 

knowing  her  love  of  the  beautiful,  he  had  never  looked 
upon  a  painting  or  scene  of  rare  beauty  that  he  did  not 
wish  her  by  his  side  sharing  in  the  pleasure.  He  had 
brought  her  from  that  far-off  land  many  little  trophies 
which  he  thought  she  would  prize,  and  which  he  was  going 
to  take  with  him  when  he  went  to  the  farm-house.  He 
never  dreamed  of  her  coming  there  to-night.  She  would, 
of  course,  wait  for  him,  to  call  upon  her  first.  How  then 
was  he  amazed  when,  just  as  the  sun  was  going  down 
and  he  was  watching  its  last  rays  lingering  on  the  brow  of 
the  hill  across  the  pond,  the  library  door  was  opened  wide 
and  the  room  suddenly  filled  with  life  and  joy,  as  a  grace 
ful  figure,  with  reddish  golden  hair,  bounded  across  the 
floor,  and  winding  its  arms  around  his  neck  gave  him  the 
hearty  kiss  which  Katy  had  in  her  mind  when  she  declined 
Aunt  Betsy's  favorite  vegetable. 

Morris  Grant  was  not  averse  to  being  kissed,  and  yet 
the  fact  that  Katy  Lennox  had  kissed  him  in  such  a  way 
awoke  a  chill  of  disappointment,  for  it  said  that  to  her 
he  was  the  teacher  still,  the  elder  brother,  whom,  as  a 
child,  she  had  loaded  with  caresses. 

"  Oh,  Cousin  Morris !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  why  didn't  you 
come  over  at  noon,  you  naughty  boy !  But  what  a  splendid- 
looking  man  you've  got  to  be,  though !  and  what  do  you 
think  of  me  ?  "  she  added,  blushing  for  the  first  time,  as 
he  held  her  off  from  him  and  looked  into  the  sunny  face. 

"  I  think  you  wholly  unchanged,"  he  answered,  so  gravely 
that  Katy  began  to  pout  as  she  said,  "  And  you  are  sorry, 
I  know.  Pray  what  did  you  expect  of  me,  and  what  would 
you  have  me  be  ?  " 

"  Nothing1  but  what  you  are — the  same  Kitty  as  of  old," 
he  answered,  his  own  bright  smile  breaking  all  over  his 
sober  face. 

He  saw  that  his  manner  repelled  her,  and  he  tried  to 
be  natural,  succeeding  so  well  that  Katy  forgot  her  first 
disappointment,  and  making  him  sit  by  her  on  the  sofa, 
where  she  could  see  him  distinctly,  she  poured  forth  a 
volley  of  talk,  telling  him,  among  other  things,  how  much 
afraid  of  him  some  of  his  letters  made  her — they  were  so 
serious  and  so  like  a  sermon. 

"  You  wrote  me  once  that  you  thought  of  being  a  min- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  21 

ister,"  she  added.  "  Why  did  you  change  your  mind  ? 
It  must  be  splendid,  I  think,  to  be  a  young  clergyman — 
invited  to  so  many  tea-drinkings,  and  having  all  the  girls 
in  the  parish  after  you,  as  they  always  are  after  un 
married  ministers." 

Into  Morris  Grant's  eyes  there  stole  a  troubled  light 
as  he  thought  how  little  Katy  realized  what  it  was  to  be 
a  minister  of  God — to  point  the  people  heavenward  and 
teach  them  the  right  way.  There  was  a  moment's  pause, 
and  then  he  tried  to  explain  to  her  that  he  hoped  he  had 
not  been  influenced  either  by  thoughts  of  tea-drinkings  or 
having  the  parish  girls  after  him,  but  rather  by  an  honest 
desire  to  choose  the  sphere  in  which  he  could  accomplish  the 
most  good. 

"  I  did  not  decide  rashly,"  he  said,  "  but  after  weeks 
of  anxious  thought  and  prayer  for  guidance  I  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  in  the  practice  of  medicine  I  could  find 
perhaps  as  broad  a  field  for  good  as  in  the  church,  and  so 
I  decided  to  go  on  with  my  profession — to  be  a  physician 
of  the  poor  and  suffering,  speaking  to  them  of  Him  who 
came  to  save,  and  in  this  way  I  shall  not  labor  in  vain. 
Many  would  seek  another  place  than  Silverton  and  its 
vicinity,  but  something  told  me  that  my  work  was  here, 
and  so  I  am  content  to  stay,  feeling  thankful  that  my 
means  admit  of  my  waiting  for  patients,  if  need  be,  and 
at  the  same  time  ministering  to  the  wants  of  those  who 
are  needy/' 

Gradually,  as  he  talked,  there  came  into  his  face  a  light 
born  only  from  the  peace  which  passeth  understanding, 
and  the  awe-struck  Katy  crept  closer  to  his  side  and  grasp 
ing  his  hand  in  hers,  said  softly,  "Dear  cousin,  what  a 
good  man  you  are,  and  how  silly  I  must  seem  to  you, 
thinking  you  cared  for  tea-drinkings,  or  even  girls,  when, 
of  course,  you  do  not." 

"  Perhaps  I  do,"  the  doctor  replied,  slightly  pressing 
the  warm,  fat  hand  holding:  his  so  fast.  "  A  minister's 
or  a  doctor's  life  would  be  dreary  indeed  if  there  was  no 
one  to  share  it,  and  I  have  had  my  dreams  of  the  girls, 
or  girl,  who  was  some  day  to  brighten  my  home." 

He  looked  fully  at  Katy  now,  but  she  was  thinking  of 
something  else,  and  her  next  remark  was  to  ask  him  rather 
abruptly  "  how  old  he  was  ?  " 


22  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"  Twenty-six  last  May,"  he  answered,  while  Katy  con 
tinued,  "  You  are  not  old  enough  to  be  married  yet.  Wil- 
ford  Cameron  is  thirty." 

"  Where  did  you  meet  Wilford  Cameron  ?  "  Morris  asked, 
in  some  surprise,  and  then  the  story  which  Katy  had  not 
told,  even  to  her  sister,  came  out  in  full,  and  Morris  tried 
to  listen  patiently  while  Katy  explained  how,  on  the  very 
first  day  of  the  examination,  Mrs.  Woodhull  had  come 
in,  and  with  her  the  grandest,  proudest-looking  man,  who 
the  girls  said  was  Mr.  Wilford  Cameron,  from  New  York, 
a  fastidious  bachelor,  whose  family  were  noted  for  their 
wealth  and  exclusiveness,  keeping  six  servants,  and  living 
in  the  finest  style;  that  Mrs.  Woodhull,  who  all  through 
the  year  had  been  very  kind  to  Katy,  came  to  her  after 
school  and  invited  her  home  to  tea ;  that  she  had  gone  and 
met  Mr.  Cameron;  that  she  was  very  much  afraid  of  him 
at  first,  and  was  not  sure  that  she  was  quite  over  it  now, 
although  he  was  so  polite  to  her  all  through  the  journey, 
taking  so  much  pains  to  have  her  see  the  finest  sights,  and 
laughing  at  her  enthusiasm. 

"  Wilford  Cameron  with  you  in  your  trip  ? "  Morris 
asked,  a  new  idea  dawning  on  his  mind. 

"  Yes,  let  me  tell  you,"  and  Katy  spoke  rapidly.  "  I 
saw  him  that  night,  and  then  Mrs.  Woodhull  took  me  to 
ride  with  him  in  the  carriage,  and  then — well,  I  rode  alone 
with  him  once  down  by  the  lake,  and  he  talked  to  me  just 
as  if  he  was  not  a  grand  man  and  I  a  little  school-girl. 
And  when  the  term  closed  I  stayed  at  Mrs.  Woodhull's  and 
he  was  there.  He  liked  my  playing  and  liked  my  singing, 
and  I  guess  he  liked  me — that  is,  you  know — yes,  he  liked 
me  some,"  and  Katy  twisted  the  fringe  of  her  shawl,  while 
Morris,  in  spite  of  the  pain  tugging  at  his  heart  strings, 
laughed  aloud  as  he  rejoined,  "  I  have  no  doubt  he  did ; 
but  go  on — what  next  ?  " 

"  He  said  more  about  my  joining  that  party  than  any 
body,  and  I  am  very  sure  he  paid  the  bills/' 

"  Oh,  Katy,"  and  Morris  started  as  if  he  had  been  stung. 
"  I  would  rather  have  given  Linwood  than  have  you  thus 
indebted  to  Wilford  Cameron,  or  any  other  man." 

"  I  could  not  well  help  it.  I  did  not  mean  any  harm," 
Katy  said  timidly,  explaining  how  she  had  shrunk  from 


The  Cameron  Pride.  23 

the  proposition  which  Mrs.  Woodhull  thought  was  right, 
urging  it  until  she  had  consented,  and  telling  how  kind 
Mr.  Cameron  was,  and  how  careful  not  to  remind  her  of 
her  indebtedness  to  him,  attending  to  and  anticipating 
every  want  as  if  she  had  been  his  sister. 

"  You  would  like  Mr.  Cameron,  Cousin  Morris.  He 
made  me  think  of  you  a  little,  only  he  is  prouder,"  and 
Katy's  hand  moved  up  Morris's  coat  sleeve  till  it  rested 
on  his  shoulder. 

"  Perhaps  so,"  Morris  answered,  feeling  a  growing  re 
sentment  towards  one  who  it  seemed  to  him  had  done  him 
some  great  wrong. 

But  Wilford  was  not  to  blame,  he  reflected.  He  could 
not  help  admiring  the  bright  little  Katy — and  so  conquer 
ing  all  ungenerous  feelings,  he  turned  to  her  at  last,  and 
said, 

"  Did  my  little  Cousin  Kitty  like  Wilford  Cameron?  " 

Something  in  Morris's  voice  startled  Katy  strangely; 
her  hand  came  down  from  his  shoulder,  and  for  an  in 
stant  there  swept  over  her  an  emotion  similar  to  what  she 
had  felt  when  with  Wilford  Cameron  she  rambled  along 
the  shores  of  Lake  George,  or  sat  alone  with  him  on  the 
deck  of  the  steamer  which  carried  them  down  Lake  Cham- 
plain.  But  Morris  had  always  been  her  brother,  and  she 
did  not  guess  that  she  was  more  to  him  than  a  sister,  so 
she  answered  frankly  at  last,  "  I  guess  I  did  like  him  a 
little.  I  couldn't  help  it,  Morris.  You  could  not  either, 
or  any  one.  I  believe  Mrs.  Woodhull  was  more  than  half 
in  love  with  him  herself,  and  she  talked  so  much  of  his 
family;  they  must  be  very  grand." 

"  Yes,  I  know  those  Camerons/'  was  Morris's  quiet  re 
mark. 

"What!  You  don't  know  Wilford?"  Katy  almost 
screamed,  and  Morris  replied,  "  Not  Wilford,  no ;  but  the 
mother  and  the  sisters  were  in  Paris,  and  I  met  them 
many  times." 

"  What  were  they  doing  in  Paris  ? "  Katy  asked,  and 
Morris  replied  that  he  believed  the  immediate  object  of 
their  being  there  was  to  obtain  the  best  medical  advice 
for  a  little  orphan  grand-child,  a  bright,  beautiful  boy, 
to  whom  some  terrible  accident  had  happened  in  infancy, 


24  The  Cameron  Pride. 

preventing  his  walking  entirely.,  and  making  him  nearly 
helpless.  His  name  was  Jamie.  Morris  said,  and  as  he  saw 
that  Katy  was  interested,  he  told  her  how  sweet-tempered 
the  little  fellow  was,  how  patient  under  suffering,  and  how 
eagerly  he  listened  when  Morris,  who  at  one  time  attended 
him,  told  him  of  the  Saviour  and  his  love  for  little  chil 
dren. 

"  Did  he  get  well  ?  "  Katy  asked,  her  eyes  filling  with 
tears  at  the  picture  Morris  drew  of  Jamie  Cameron,  sit 
ting  all  day  long  in  his  wheel  chair,  and  trying  to  com 
fort  his  grand-mother's  distress  when  the  torturing  instru 
ments  for  straightening  his  poor  back  were  applied. 

"  No,  he  died  one  lovely  day  in  October,  and  they  buried 
him  beneath  the  bright  skies  of  France,"  Morris  said,  and 
then  Katy  asked  about  the  mother  and  sisters.  "  Were 
they  proud,  and  did  he  like  them  much  ?  " 

"  They  were  very  proud/'  Morris  said ;  "  but  they  were 
always  civil  to  him,"  and  Katy,  had  she  been  watching, 
might  have  seen  a  slight  flush  on  his  cheek  as  he  told  her 
of  the  stately  woman,  Wilf>;rd's  mother,  of  the  haughty 
Juno,  a  beauty  and  a  belle,  and  lastly  of  Arabella,  whom 
the  family  nicknamed  Bluebell,  from  her  excessive  fond 
ness  for  books,  and  her  contempt  for  the  fashionable  life 
her  mother  and  sister  led. 

It  was  evident  that  neither  of  the  young  ladies  were 
wholly  to  Morris's  taste,  but  of  the  two  he*  preferred  Blue 
bell,  for  though  imperious  and  self-willed,  she  had  some 
heart,  some  principle,  while  Juno  had  none.  This  was 
Morris's  opinion,  and  it  disturbed  little  Kat}r,  as  was  very 
perceptible  from  the  nervous  tapping  of  her  foot  upon  the 
carpet  and  the  working  of  her  hands. 

"  How  would  I  appear  by  the  side  of  those  ladies  ?  "  she 
suddenly  asked,  her  countenance  changing  as  Morris  re 
plied  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  think  of  her  as  as- 
eociated  with  the  Camerons,  she  was  so  wholly  unlike  them 
in  every  r-'-pect. 

"I  don  t  believe  I  shocked  Wilford  so  very  much," 
Katy  rejoined,  reproachfully,  while  again  a  heavy  pain 
shot  through  Morris's  heart,  for  he  saw  more  and  more 
how  Wilford  Cameron  was  mingled  with  every  thought  of 
the  young  girl,  who  continued :  "  And  if  he  was  satisfied, 


The  Cameron  Pride.  25 

his  mother  and  sisters  will  be.  Any  way,  I  don't  want 
you  to  make  me  feel  how  different  I  am  from  them." 

There  was  tears  now  on  Katy's  face,  and  casting  aside 
all  -selfishness,  Morris  wound  his  arm  around  her,  and 
smoothing  her  golden  hair,  just  as  he  used  to  do  when 
she  was  a  child  and  came  to  him  to  be  soothed,  he  said, 
very  gently, 

"  My  poor  Kitty,  you  do  like  Wilf ord  Cameron ;  tell  me 
honestly — is  it  not  so  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  guess  I  do/'  and  Katy's  voice  was  a  half  sob. 
"I  could  not  help  it,  either,  he  was  so  kind,  so — I  don't 
know  what,  only  I  could  not  help  doing  what  he  bade  me. 
Why,  if  he  had  said,  ( Jump  overboard,  Katy  Lennox/  I 
should  have  done  it,  I  know — that  is,  if  his  eyes  had  been 
upon  me,  they  controlled  me  so  absolutely.  Can  you  im 
agine  what  I  mean?"" 

"  Yes,  I  understand.  There  was  the  same  look  in  Bell 
Cameron's  eye,  a  kind  of  mesmeric  influence  which  com 
manded  obedience.  They  idolize  Wilford,  and  I  dare  say 
he  is  worthy  of  their  idolatry.  One  thing  at  least  is  in 
his  favor — the  crippled  Jamie,  for  whose  opinion  I  would 
give  more  than  all  the  rest,  seemed  to  worship  his  Uncle 
Will;  talking  of  him  continually,  and  telling  how  kind 
he  was,  sometimes  staying  up  all  night  to  carry  him  in  his 
arms  when  the  pain  in  his  back  was  more  than  usually 
severe.  So  there  must  be  a  good,  kind  heart  in  Wilford 
Cameron,  and  if  my  Cousin  Kitty  likes  him,  as  she  says 
she  does,  and  he  likes  her  as  I  believe  he  must,  why,  I 

Morris  Grant  could  not  finish  the  sentence,  for  he  did 
not  hope  that  Wilford  Cameron  would  win  the  gem  he  had 
so  long  coveted  as  his  own. 

He  might  give  Kitty  up  because  she  loved  another  best. 
He  was  generous  enough  to  do  that,  but  if  he  did  it,  she 
must  never  know  how  much  it  cost  him,  and  lest  he  should 
betray  himself  he  could  not  to-night  talk  with  her  longer 
of  Wilford  Cameron.  It  was  time  too  for  Kitty  to  go 
home,  but  she  did  not  seem  to  remember  it  until  Morris 
suggested  to  her  that  her  mother  might  be  uneasy  if  she 
stayed  away  much  longer,  and  so  they  went  together  across 
the  fields,  the  shadows  all  gone  from  Katy's  heart,  but 


26  The  Cameron  Pride. 

lying  so  dark  and  heavy  around  Morris  Grant,  who  was 
glad  when  he  could  leave  Katy  at  the  farm-house  door 
and  go  back  alone  to  the  quiet  library,  where  only  God 
could  witness  the  mighty  struggle,  it  was  for  him  to  say, 
"  Thy  will  be  done."  And  while  he  prayed,  Katy,  in  her 
humble  bedroom,  with  her  head  nestled  close  to  Helen's 
neck,  was  telling  her  of  Wilford  Cameron,  who,  when  they 
went  down  the  rapids  and  she  had  cried  with  fear,  had  put 
his  arm  around  her  trying  to  quiet  her,  and  who  once  again, 
on  the  mountain  overlooking  Lake  George,  had  held  her 
hand  a  moment,  while  he  pointed  out  a  splendid  view  soon 
through  the  opening  trees.  And  Helen,  listening,  knew 
that  Ivaty's  heart  was  lost,  and  that  for  Wilford  Cameron 
to  deceive  her  now  would  be  a  cruel  thing. 


CHAPTEE  III. 

WILFORD  CAMEROX. 

THE  day  succeeding  Katy  Lennox's  return  to  Silverton 
was  rainy  and  cold  for  the  season,  the  storm  extending  as 
far  westward  as  the  city  of  New  York,  and  making  Wil 
ford  Cameron  shfrer  as  he  stepped  from  the  Hudson  River 
cars  into  the  carriage  waiting  for  him,  first  greeting  pleas 
antly  the  white-gloved  driver,  who,  closing  the  carriage 
door,  mounted  to  his  seat  and  drove  his  handsome  bays  in 
the  direction  of  No.  —  Fifth  Avenue.  And  Wilford,  lean 
ing  back  among  the  cushions,  thought  how  pleasant  it  was 
to  be  home  again,  feeling  glad,  as  he  frequently  did,  that 
the  home  was  in  every  particular  unexceptionable.  The 
Camerons,  he  knew,  were  an  old  and  highly  respectable 
family,  while  it  was  his  mother's  pride  that,  go  back  as 
far  as  one  might,  on  either  side  there  could  not  be  found 
a  single  blemish,  or  a  member  of  whom  to  be  ashamed. 
On  the  Cameron  side  there  were  millionaires,  merchant 
princes,  bankers,  and  stockholders,  professors  and  scholars, 
while  on  hers,  the  Rossiter  side,  there  were  LL.  D.'s  and 
D.  D.'s,  lawyers  and  clergymen,  authors  and  artists, 
beauties  and  bells,  the  whole  forming  an  illustrious  line  of 
ancestry,  admirably  represented  and  sustained  by  the  pres 
ent  family  of  Camerons,  occupying  the  brown-stone  front, 
corner  of  street  and  Fifth  Avenue,  where  the  hand* 


The  Cameron  Pride.  27 

some  carriage  stopped,  and  a  tall  figure  ran  quickly  up  the 
marble  steps.  There  was  a  soft  rustle  of  silk,  an  odor 
of  delicate  perfume,  and  from  the  luxurious  chair  before 
the  fire  kindled  in  the  grate,  a  lady  rose  and  advanced  a 
step  or  two  towards  the  parlor  door.  In  another  moment 
she  was  kissing  the  young  man  bending  over  her  and 
saluting  her  as  mother,  kissing  him  quietly,  properly,  as 
the  Camerons  always  kissed.  She  was  very  glad  to  have 
Wilford  home  again,  for  he  was  her  favorite  child;  and 
brushing  the  rain-drops  from  his  coat  she  led  him  to  the 
fire,  offering  him  her  own  easy-chair,  and  starting  herself 
in  quest  of  another.  But  Wilford  held  her  back,  and  mak 
ing  her  sit  down,  he  drew  an  ottoman  beside  her,  and  then 
asked  her  first  how  she  had  been,  then  where  his  sisters 
were,  and  if  his  father  had  come  home — for  there  was  a 
father,  a  quiet,  unassuming  man,  who  stayed  all  day  in 
Wall  street,  seldom  coming  home  in  time  to  carve  at  his 
own  dinner  table,  and  when  he  was  at  home,  asking  for 
nothing  except  to  be  left  by  his  fashionable  wife  and  daugh 
ters  to  himself,  free  to  smoke  and  doze  over  his  evening 
paper  in  the  seclusion  of  his  own  reading-room. 

As  Wilford's  question  concerning  his  sire  had  been  the 
last  one  asked,  so  it  was  the  last  one  answered,  his  mother 
parting  his  dark  hair  with  her  jeweled  hand,  and  telling 
him  first  that,  with  the  exception  of  a  cold  taken  at  the 
Park  on  Saturday  afternoon,  she  was  in  usual  health — 
second,  that  Juno  was  spending  a  few  days  in  Orange,  and 
that  Bell  had  gone  to  pass  the  night  with  her  particular 
friend,  Mrs.  Meredith,  the  most  bookish  woman  in  New 
York. 

"  Your  father,"  the  lady  added,  "  has  not  yet  returned ; 
but  as  the  dinner  is  ready  I  think  we  will  not  wait." 

She  touched  a  silver  bell  beside  her,  and  ordering  dinner 
to  be  sent  up  at  once,  went  on  to  ask  her  son  concerning 
his  journey  and  the  people  he  had  met.  But  Wilford, 
though  intending  to  tell  her  all,  would  wait  till  after 
dinner.  So,  offering  her  his  arm,  he  led  her  out  to  where 
the  table  was  spread,  widely  different  from  the  table  pre 
pared  for  Katy  Lennox  among  the  Silverton  hills,  for 
where  at  the  farm-house  there  had  been  only  the  homely 
wares  common  to  the  country,  with  Aunt  Betsy's  onions 


28  The  Cameron  Pride. 

served  in  a  bowl,  there  was  here  the  finest  of  damask,  the 
choicest  of  china,  the  costliest  of  cut-glass,  and  the  heaviest 
of  silver,  with  the  well-trained  waiter  gliding  in  and  out. 
himself  the  very  personification  of  strict  table  etiquette, 
such  as  the  Barlows  had  never  dreamed  about.  There  was 
no  fricasseed  chicken  here,  or  flaky  crust,  with  pickled 
beans  and  apple-sauce ;  no  custard  pie  with  strawberries  and 
rich,  sweet  cream,  poured  from  a  blue  earthen  pitcher ;  but 
there  were  soups,  and  fish,  and  roasted  meats,  and  dishes 
with  French  names  and  taste,  and  dessert  elaborately  gotten 
up,  and  served  with  the  utmost  precision,  and  Mrs.  Cam 
eron  presiding  over  all  with  lady-like  decorum,  her  soft 
glossy  silk  of  brown,  with  her  rich  lace  and  diamond  pin 
in  perfect  keeping  with  herself  and  her  surroundings. 
And  opposite  to  her  Wilford  sat,  a  tall,  dark,  handsome 
man,  of  thirty  or  thereabouts — a  man,  whose  polished 
manners  betokened  at  once  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
world,  and  whose  face,  to  a  close  observer,  indicated  how 
little  satisfaction  he  had  as  yet  found  in  the  world.  He 
had  tried  its  pleasures,  drinking  the  cup  of  freedom  and 
happiness  to  its  very  dregs,  and  though  he  thought  he 
liked  it,  he  often  found  himself  dissatisfied  and  reaching 
after  something  which  should  make  life  more  real,  more 
worth  the  living  for.  He  had  traveled  all  over  Europe 
twice,  had  visited  every  spot  worth  visiting  in  his  own 
country,  had  been  a  frequenter  of  every  fashionable  resort 
in  New  York,  from  the  skating-pond  to  the  theatres,  had 
been  admitted  as  a  lawyer,  had  opened  an  office  on  Broad 
way,  acquiring  some  reputation  in  his  profession,  had  looked 
at  more  than  twenty  girls  with  the  view  of  making  them 
his  wife,  and  found  them,  as  he  believed,  alike  fickle,  selfish, 
artificial  and  hollow-hearted.  In  short,  while  thinking  far 
more  of  family,  and  accomplishments,  and  style,  than 
he  ought,  he  was  yet  heartily  tired  of  the  butterflies  who 
flitted  so  constantly  around  him,  offering  to  be  caught  if 
he  would  but  stretch  out  his  hand  to  catch  them.  This 
he  would  not  do,  and  disgusted  with  the  world  as  he  saw 
it  in  New  York,  he  had  gone  to  the  the  Far  West,  roaming 
awhile  amid  the  solitude  of  the  broad  prairies,  and  finding 
there  much  that  was  soothing  to  him,  but  not  discovering 
the  fulfillment  of  the  great  want  he  was  craving  until  com- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  29 

ing  back  to  Canandaigua,  he  met  with  Katy  Lennox.  He 
had  smiled  wearily  when  asked  by  Mrs.  Woodhull  to  go 
with  her  to  the  examination  then  in  progress  at  the  Sem 
inary.  There  was  nothing  there  to  interest  him,  he 
thought,  as  Euclid  and  Algebra,  French  and  Ehetoric  were 
bygone  things,  while  young  school-misses,  in  braided  hair 
and  pantalettes,  were  shockingly  insipid.  Still,  to  be 
polite  to  Mrs.  Woodhull,  a  childless,  fashionable  woman, 
who  patronized  Canandaigua  generally  and  Katy  Lennox 
in  particular,  he  consented,  and  soon  found  himself  in  the 
crowded  room,  the  cynosure  of  many  eyes  as  the  whisper 
ran  round  that  the  fine-looking  man  with  Mrs.  Woodhull 
was  Wilford  Cameron,  from  New  York,  brother  to  the 
proud,  dashing  Juno  Cameron,  who  once  spent  a  few  weeks 
in  town.  Wilford  knew  they  were  talking  about  him,  but 
he  did  not  care,  and  assuming  as  easy  an  attitude  as  pos 
sible,  he  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  yawning  indolently  until 
the  class  in  Algebra  was  called,  and  Katy  Lennox  came 
tripping  on  the  stage,  a  pale  blue  ribbon  in  her  golden 
hair,  and  her  simple  dress  of  white  relieved  by  no  orna 
ment  except  the  cluster  of  wild  flowers  fastened  in  her  belt 
and  at  her  throat.  But  Katy  needed  no  ornaments  to  make 
her  more  beautiful  than  she  was  at  the  moment  when, 
with  glowing  cheeks  and  sparkling  eyes,  she  first  burst 
upon  Wilford's  vision,  a  creature  of  rare,  bewitching  beauty, 
such  as  he  had  never  dreamed  about. 

Wilford  had  met  his  destiny,  and  he  felt  it  in  every 
throb  of  blood  which  went  rushing  through  his  veins. 

"Who  is  she?"  he  asked  of  Mrs.  Woodhull,  and  that 
lady  knew  at  once  whom  he  meant,  even  though  he  had 
not  designated  her. 

An  old  acquaintance  of  Mrs.  Lennox  when  she  lived  in 
East  Bloomfield,  Mrs.  Woodhull  had  petted  Katy  from  the 
first  day  of  her  arrival  in  Canandaigua  with  a  letter  of 
introduction  to  herself  from  the  ambitious  mother,  and 
being  rather  inclined  to  match-making,  she  had  had  Katy 
in  her  mind  when  she  urged  Wilford  to  accompany  her 
to  the  Seminary.  Accordingly,  she  answered  him  at  once, 
"  That  is  Katy  Lennox,  daughter  of  Judge  Lennox,  who 
died  in  East  Bloomfield  a  few  years  ago." 

"Pretty,  is  she  not?" 


30  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Wilford  did  not  answer  her.  He  had  neither  eye  nor 
ear  for  anything  save  Katy,  acquitting  herself  with  a  good 
deal  of  credit  as  she  worked  out  a  rather  difficult  problem, 
her  dimpled  white  hand  showing  to  good  advantage  against 
the  deep  black  of  the  board;  and  then  her  voice,  soft- 
toned  and  silvery,  as  a  lady's  voice  should  be,  thrilled  in 
Wilford's  ear,  awaking  a  strange  feeling  of  disquiet,  as 
if  the  world  would  never  again  be  quite  the  same  to  him 
t'hat  it  was  before  he  met  that  fair  young  girl  now  passing 
from  the  room. 

Mrs.  Woodhull  saw  that  he  was  interested.  It  was  time 
he  was  settled  in  life.  With  the  exception  of  wealth  and 
family  position,  he  could  not  find  a  better  wife  than  Katy, 
and  she  would  do  what  she  could  to  bring  the  marriage 
about.  Accordingly,  having  first  gained  the  preceptress's 
consent,  Katy  was  taken  home  with  her  to  dinner.  And 
this  was  how  Wilford  Cameron  came  to  know  little  Katy 
Lennox,  the  simple-hearted  child,  who  blushed  so  prettily 
when  first  presented  to  him,  and  blushed  again  when  he 
praised  her  recitations,  but  who  after  that  forgot  the  dif 
ference  in  their  social  relations,  laughing  and  chatting  as 
merrily  in  his  presence  as  if  she  had  been  alone  with  Mrs. 
Woodhull.  This  was  the  great  charm  to  Wilford.  Katy 
was  so  wholly  unconscious  of  herself  or  what  he  might 
think  of  her,  that  he  could  not  sit  in  judgment  upon  her, 
and  he  watched  her  eagerly  as  she  sported,  and  flashed,  and 
sparkled,  filling  the  room  with  sunshine,  and  putting  to 
rout  the  entire  regiment  of  blues  which  had  been  for 
months  harassing  the  city-bred  young  man. 

If  there  was  any  one  thing  in  which  Katy  excelled,  it 
was  music,  both  vocal  and  instrumental,  a  taste  for  which 
had  been  developed  very  early,  and  fostered  by  Morris 
Grant,  who  had  seen  that  his  cousin  had  every  advantage 
which  Silverton  could  afford.  Great  pains  had  been  given 
to  her  style  of  playing  while  in  Canandaigua,  so  that  as 
a  performer  upon  the  piano  she  had  few  rivals  in  the 
seminary,  while  her  birdlike  voice  filled  every  nook  and 
corner  of  the  room,  where,  on  the  night  after  her  visit  to 
Mrs.  Woodhull,  a  select  exhibition  was  held,  Katy  shining 
as  the  one  bright  star,  and  winning  golden  laurels  for 
beauty,  grace,  and  perfect  self-possession,  from  others  than 
Wilford  Cameron,  who  was  one  of  the  invited  auditors. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  31 

Juno  herself  could  not  equal  that,  he  thought,  as  Katy's 
fingers  flew  over  the  keys,  executing  a  brilliant  and  difficult 
piece  without  a  single  mistake,  and  receiving  the  applause 
of  the  spectators  easily,  naturally,  as  if  it  were  an  every 
day  occurrence.  But  when  by  request  she  sang  "  Comin' 
through  the  Rye,"  Wilford's  heart,  if  he  had  any  before, 
was  wholly  gone,  and  he  dreamed  of  Katy  Lennox  that 
night,  wondering  all  the  ensuing  day  how  his  haughty 
mother  would  receive  that  young  school-girl  as  her  daugh 
ter,  wife  of  the  son  whose  bride  she  fancied  must  be  equal 
to  the  first  lady  in  the  land.  And  if  Katy  were  not  now 
equal  she  could  be  made  so,  Wilford  thought,  wondering 
if  Canandaigua  were  the  best  place  for  her,  and  if  she 
would  consent  to  receive  a  year  or  two  years'  tuition  from 
him,  provided  her  family  were  poor.  He  did  not  know 
as  they  were,  but  he  would  ask,  and  he  did,  feeling  a  pang 
of  regret  when  he  heard  to  some  extent  how  Katy  was  cir 
cumstanced.  Mrs.  Woodhull  had  never  been  to  Silverton, 
and  so  she  did  not  know  of  Uncle  Ephraim,  and  his  old- 
fashioned  sister;  but  she  knew  that  they  were  poor — that 
some  relation  sent  Katy  to  school;  and  she  frankly  told 
Wilford  so,  adding,  as  she  detected  the  shadow  on  his  face, 
that  one  could  not  expect  everything,  and  that  a  girl  like 
Katy  was  not  found  every  day.  Wilford  admitted  all  this, 
growing  more  and  more  infatuated,  until  at  last  he  con 
sented  to  join  the  traveling  party,  provided  Katy  joined 
it  too,  and  when  on  the  morning  of  their  departure  for 
the  Falls  he  seated  himself  beside  her  in  the  car,  he  could 
not  well  have  been  happier,  unless  she  had  really  been  his 
wife,  as  he  so  much  wished  she  was. 

It  was  a  most  delightful  trip,  and  Wilford  was  better 
satisfied  with  himself  than  he  had  been  before  in  years. 
His  past  life  was  not  all  free  from  error,  and  there  were 
many  sad  memories  haunting  him,  but  with  Katy  at  his 
side,  seeing  what  he  saw,  admiring  what  he  admired,  and 
doing  what  he  bade  her  do,  he  gave  the  bygones  to  the 
wind,  feeling  only  an  intense  desire  to  clasp  the  young 
girl  in  his  arms  and  bear  her  away  to  some  spot  where 
with  her  pure  fresh  life  all  his  own  he  could  begin  the  world 
anew,  and  retrieve  the  past  which  he  had  lost.  This  was 
when  he  was  with  Katy.  Away  from  her  he  could  remem- 


32  The  Cameron  Pride. 

ber  the  difference  in  their  position,  and  prudential  motives 
began  to  make  themselves  heard.  Never  but  once  had  he 
taken  an  important  step  without  consulting  his  mother, 
and  the  trouble  in  which  that  had  involved  him  warned 
him  to  be  more  cautious  a  second  time.  And  this  was 
why  Katy  came  back  to  Silverton  unengaged,  leaving  her 
heart  with  Wilford  Cameron,  who  would  first  seek  advice 
from  his  mother  ere  committing  himself  by  word.  He  had 
seen  the  white-haired  man  waiting  for  her  when  the  train 
stopped  at  Silverton,  but  standing  there  as  he  did,  with 
his  silvery  locks  parted  in  the  centre,  and  shading  his 
honest,  open  face,  Uncle  Ephraim  looked  like  some  patri 
arch  of  old  rather  than  a  man  to  be  despised,  and  Wilford 
felt  only  respect  for  him  until  he  saw  Katy's  arms  wound 
so  lovingly  around  his  neck  as  she  called  him  Uncle  Eph. 
That  sight  grated  harshly,  and  Wilford  felt  glad  that  he 
was  not  bound  to  her  by  any  pledge.  Very  curiously  he 
looked  after  the  couple,  witnessing  the  meeting  between 
Katy  and  old  Whiting,  and  guessing  rightly  that  the  corn- 
colored  vehicle  was  the  one  sent  to  transport  Katy  home. 
He  was  very  moody  for  the  remainder  of  the  route  between 
Silverton  and  Albany,  where  he  parted  with  his  Canan- 
daigua  friends,  they  going  on  to  the  westward,  while  he 
stopped  all  night  in  Albany,  where  he  had  some  business 
to  transact  for  his  father. 

He  was  intending  to  tell  his  mother  everything,  except 
that  he  paid  Katy's  bills.  He  would  rather  keep  that  to 
himself,  as  it  might  shock  his  mother's  sense  of  propriety 
and  make  her  think  less  of  Katy ;  so  after  dinner  was  over, 
and  they  had  returned  to  the  parlor,  he  opened  the  subject 
by  asking  her  to  guess  what  took  him  off  so  suddenly  with 
Mrs.  Woodhull. 

The  mother  did  not  know — unless — and  a  strange  light 
gleamed  in  her  eye,  as  she  asked  if  it  were  some  girl. 

"  Yes,  mother,  it  was,"  and  without  any  reservation  Wil 
ford  frankly  told  the  story  of  his  interest  in  Katy  Lennox. 

He  admitted  that  she  was  poor  and  unaccustomed  to 
society,  but  he  loved  her  more  than  words  could  express. 

"  Not  as  I  loved  Genevra,"  he  said,  and  there  came  a 
look  of  intense  pain  into  his  eyes  as  he  continued.  "  That 
was  the  passion  of  a  boy  of  nineteen,  stimulated  by  secrecy, 


The  Cameron  Pride.  33 

but  this  is  the  love  of  a  mature  man  of  thirty,  who  feels 
that  he  is  capable  of  judging  for  himself." 

Ix  Wilford's  voice  there  was  a  tone  warning  the  mother 
that  opposition  would  only  feed  the  flame,  and  so  she  offered 
nonf;  directly,  but  heard  him  patiently  to  the  end,  and  then 
quietty  questioned  him  of  Katy  and  her  family,  especially 
the  Iftst.  What  did  he  know  of  it?  Was  it  one  to  detract 
from  the  Cameron  line,  kept  untarnished  so  long?  Were 
the  relatives  such  as  he  never  need  blush  to  own  even  if 
they  came  there  into  their  drawing-rooms  as  they  would 
come  if  Katy  did? 

Wilford  thought  of  Uncle  Ephraim  as  he  had  seen  him 
upon  the  platform  at  Silverton,  and  could  scarcely  re 
press  a  smile  as  he  pictured  to  himself  his  mother's  con 
sternation  at  beholding  that  man  in  her  drawing-room. 
But  he  did  not  mention  the  deacon,  though  he  acknowl 
edged  that  Katy's  family  friends  were  not  exactly  the  Cam 
eron  style.  But  Katy  was  young :  Katy  could  be  easily 
moulded,  and  once  away  from  her  old  associates,  his  mother 
ar»d  sisters  could  make  of  her  what  they  pleased. 

"  I  understand,  then,  that  if  you  marry  her  you  do  not 
marry  the  family,"  and  in  the  handsome  matronly  face 
there  was  an  expression  from  which  Katy  would  have 
shrunk,  could  she  have  seen  it  and  understood  its  meaning. 

"  No,  I  do  not  marry  the  family/'  Wilford  rejoined 
emphatically,  but  the  expression  of  his  face  was  different 
from  his  mother's,  for  where  she  thought  only  of  herself, 
not  hesitating  to  trample  on  all  Katy's  love  of  home  and 
friends,  Wilford  remembered  Katy,  thinking  how  he  would 
make  amends  for  separating  her  wholly  from  her  home  as 
he  surely  meant  to  do  if  he  should  win  her.  "  Did  I  tell 
you,"  he  continued,  "that  her  father  was  a  judge?  She 
must  be  well  connected  on  that  side.  And  now,  what  shall 
I  do  ? "  he  asked  playfully.  "  Shall  I  propose  to  Katy 
Lennox,  or  shall  I  try  to  forget  her?" 

"  I  should  not  do  either,"  was  Mrs.  Cameron's  reply, 
for  she  knew  that  trying  to  forget  her  was  the  surest  way 
of  keeping  her  in  mind,  and  she  dared  not  confess  to  him 
how  determined  she  was  that  Katy  Lennox  should  never 
be  her  daughter  if  she  could  prevent  it. 

If  she  could  not,  then  as  a  lady  and  a  woman  of  policy, 


34  The  Cameron  Pride. 

she  should  make  the  most  of  it,  receiving  Katy  kindly  and 
doing  her  best  to  educate  her  up  to  the  Cameron  ideas 
of  style  and  manner. 

"  Let  matters  take  their  course  for  awhile/'  she  said, 
"  and  see  how  you  feel  after  a  little.  We  are  going  to  New 
port  the  first  of  August,  and  perhaps  you  may  find  some 
body  there  infinitely  superior  to  this  Katy  Lennox.  That's 
your  father's  ring.  He  is  earlier  than  usual  to-night. 
I  would  not  tell  him  yet,  till  you  are  more  decided/'  and 
the  lady  went  hastily  out  into  the  hall  to  meet  her  hus 
band. 

A  moment  more  and  the  elder  Cameron  appeared — a 
short,  square-built  man,  with  a  face  seamed  with  lines  of 
care  and  eyes  much  like  Wilford's,  save  that  the  shaggy 
eyebrows  gave  them  a  different  expression.  He  was  very 
glad  to  see  his  son,  though  he  merely  shook  his  hand, 
asking  what  nonsense  took  him  off  around  the  Lakes 
with  Mrs.  Woodhull,  and  wondering  if  women  were  never 
happy  unless  they  were  chasing  after  fashion.  The  elder 
Cameron  was  evidently  not  of  his  wife's  way  of  thinking, 
but  she  let  him  go  on  until  he  was  through,  and  then,  with 
the  most  unruffled  mien,  suggested  that  his  dinner  would 
be  cold.  He  was  accustomed  to  that  and  so  he  did  not 
mind,  but  he  hurried  through  his  lonely  meal  to-night,  for 
Wilford  was  home,  and  the  father  was  always  happier 
when  he  knew  his  son  was  in  the  house.  Contrary  to  his 
usual  custom,  he  spent  the  short  summer  evening  in  the 
parlor,  talking  with  Wilford  on  various  items  of  business, 
and  thus  preventing  any  further  conversation  concerning 
Katy  Lennox.  It  took  but  a  short  time  for  Wilford  to 
fall  back  into  his  old  way  of  living,  passing  a  few  hours  of 
each  day  in  his  office,  driving  with  his  mother,  sparring 
with  his  imperious  sister  Juno,  ani  teasing  his  blue  sister 
Bell,  but  never  after  that  first  night  breathing  a  word  to 
any  one  of  Katy  Lennox.  And  still  Katy  was  not  for 
gotten,  as  his  mother  sometimes  believed.  On  the  contrary, 
the  very  silence  he  kept  concerning  her  increased  his 
passioii,  until  he  began  seriously  to  contemplate  a  trip  to 
Silverton.  The  family's  removal  to  Newport,  however, 
diverted  his  attention  for  a  little,  making  him  decide  to 
wait  and  see  what  Newport  might  have  in  store  for  him. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  35 

But  Newport  was  dull  this  season,  though  Juno  and  Bell 
both  found  ample  scope  for  their  different  powers  of 
attraction,  and  his  mother  was  always  happy  when  showing 
off  her  children  and  knowing  that  they  were  appreciated, 
but  with  Wilford  it  was  different.  Listless  and  taciturn, 
he  went  through  with  the  daily  routine,  wondering  how 
he  had  ever  found  happiness  there,  and  finally,  at  the 
close  of  the  season,  casting  all  policy  and  prudence  aside, 
he  wrote  to  Katy  Lennox  that  he  was  coming  to  Silverton 
on  his  way  home,  and  that  he  presumed  he  should  have 
no  difficulty  in  finding  his  way  to  the  farm-house. 

CHAPTER   IV. 

PREPARING  FOR  THE  VISIT. 

KATY  had  waited  very  anxiously  for  a  letter  from 
Wilford,  and  as  the  weeks  went  by  and  nothing  came,  a 
shadow  had  fallen  upon  her  spirits  and  the  family  missed 
something  from  her  ringing  laugh  and  frolicsome  ways, 
while  she  herself  wondered  at  the  change  which  had  come 
over  everything.  Even  the  light  household  duties  she 
used  to  enjoy  so  much,  were  irksome  to  her  and  she  enjoyed 
nothing  except  going  with  Uncle  Ephraim  into  the  fields 
where  she  could  sit  alone  while  he  worked  nearby,  or  to 
ride  with  Morris  as  she  sometimes  did  when  he  made 
his  round  of  calls.  She  was  not  as  good  as  she  used  to  be, 
she  thought,  and  with  a  view  of  making  herself  better  she 
took  to  teaching  in  Morris  and  Helen's  Sunday  School, 
greatly  to  the  distress  of  Aunt  Betsy,  who  groaned  bitterly 
when  both  her  nieces  adopted  the  "  Episcopal  quirks,"  for 
saking  entirely  the  house  where,  Sunday  after  Sunday,  her 
old-fashioned  leghorn,  with  its  faded  ribbon  of  green  was 
seen,  bending  down  in  the  humble  worship  which  God  so 
much  approves.  But  teaching  in  Sunday-school,  taken 
by  itself,  could  not  make  Katy  better,  and  the  old  restless 
ness  remained  until  the  morning  when,  sitting  on  the 
grass  beneath  the  apple-tree,  she  read  that  Wilford  Cameron 
was  coming;  then  everything  was  changed  and  Katy  never 
forgot  the  brightness  of  that  day  when  the  robins  sang 
so  merrily  above  her  head,  and  all  nature  seemed  to 
sympathize  with  her  joy.  There  was  no  shadow  around 


36  The  Cameron  Pride. 

her  now,  nothing  but  hopeful  sunshine,  and  with  a 
bounding  step  she  sought  out  Helen  to  tell  her  the  good 
news.  Helen's  first  remark,  however,  was  a  chill  upon  her 
spirits. 

"  Wilf ord  Cameron  coming  here  ?  What  will  he  think 
of  us,  we  are  so  unlike  him  ?  " 

This  was  the  first  time  Katy  had  seriously  considered 
the  difference  between  her  surroundings  and  those  of 
Wilford  Cameron,  or  how  it  might  affect  him.  But  Aunt 
Betsy,  who  had  never  dreamed  of  anything  like  Wilford's 
home,  comforted  her,  telling  her,  "  if  he  was  any  kind  of  a 
chap  he  wouldn't  be  looking  round,  and  if  he  did,  who 
cared  ?  She  guessed  they  were  as  good  as  he,  and  as  much 
thought  of  by  the  neighbors." 

Wilford's  lettter  had  been  delayed  so  that  the  morrow 
was  the  day  appointed  for  his  coming,  and  never  was 
there  a  busier  afternoon  at  the  farm-house  than  the  one 
which  followed  the  receipt  of  the  letter.  Everything  not 
spotlessly  clean  before  was  made  so  now,  Aunt  Betsy,  in 
her  petticoat  and  short  gown,  going  down  upon  her  knees 
to  scrub  the  back  door-sill,  as  if  the  city  guest  were  expected 
to  notice  that.  On  Aunt  Hannah  and  Mrs.  Lennox  devolved 
the  duty  of  preparing  for  the  wants  of  the  inner  man, 
while  Helen  and  Katy  bent  their  energies  to  beautifying 
their  home  and  making  the  most  of  their  plain  furniture. 

The  "  spare  bed-room,"  kept  for  company,  was  only  large 
enough  to  admit  the  high-post  bed,  a  single  chair,  and 
the  old-fashioned  wash-stand,  with  the  hole  in  the  top 
for  the  bowl,  and  a  drawer  beneath  for  towels;  and  the 
two  girls  held  a  consultation  as  to  whether  it  would  not  be 
better  to  dispense  with  the  parlor  altogether,  and  give  that 
room  to  their  visitor.  But  this  was  vetoed  by  Aunt  Betsy, 
who,  having  finished  the  back  door-sill,  had  now  come 
round  to  the  front,  and  with  her  scrubbing-brush  in  one 
hand  and  her  saucer  of  sand  in  the  other,  held  forth  upon 
the  foolishness  of  the  girls. 

"  Of  course,  if  they  had  a  beau,  they'd  want  a  t'other 
room,  else  where  would  they  do  their  sparkin'  ?  "" 

That  settled  it.  The  parlor  must  remain  as  it  was, 
Katy  said,  and  Aunt  Betsy  went  on  with  her  scouring, 
while  Helen  and  Katy  consulted  together  how  to  make 


The  Cameron  Pride.  37 

the  huge  feather-bed  more  like  the  mattresses  to  which 
Wilford  must  be  accustomed.  Helen's  mind  being  the 
more  suggestive,  solved  the  problem  first,  and  a  large 
comfortable  was  brought  from  the  box  in  the  garret  and 
folded  carefully  over  the  bed,  which,  thus  hardened  and 
flattened,  "  seemed  like  a  mattress/'  Katy  said,  for  she 
tried  it,  feeling  quite  well  satisfied  with  the  room  when  it 
was  finished.  And  certainly  it  was  not  uninviting,  with 
its  strip  of  bright  carpeting  upon  the  floor,  its  vase  of 
flowers  upon  the  stand,  and  its  white-fringed  curtain 
sweeping  back  from  the  narrow  window. 

"  I'd  like  to  sleep  here  myself/'  was  Katy's  comment, 
while  Helen  offered  no  opinion,  but  followed  her  sister 
into  the  yard,  where  they  were  to  sweep  the  grass  and 
prune  the  early  September  flowers. 

This  afforded  Aunt  Betsy  a  chance  to  reconnoitre  and 
criticise,  which  last  she  did  unsparingly. 

"  What  have  them  children  been  doin'  to  that  bed  ? 
Put  on  a  quilt,  as  I'm  alive !  It  would  break  my  back  to 
lie  there,  and  this  Carmon  is  none  of  the  youngest, 
accordin'  to  their  tell;  nigh  onto  thirty,  if  not  turned.  It 
will  make  his  bones  ache,  of  course.  I  am  glad  I  know 
better  than  to  treat  visitors  that  way.  The  comforter 
may  stay,  but  I'll  be  bound  I'll  make  it  softer ! "  And 
stealing  up  the  stairs,  Aunt  Betsy  brought  down  a  second 
feather-bed,  much  Tighter  than  the  one  already  on,  but  still 
large  enough  to  suggest  the  thought  of  smothering.  This 
she  had  made  herself,  intending  it  as  a  part  of  Katy's 
"  setting  out,"  should  she  ever  marry ;  and  as  things  now 
seemed  tending  that  way,  it  was  only  right,  she  thought, 
that  Mr.  Carmon,  as  she  called  him,  should  begin  to  have 
the  benefit  of  it.  Accordingly  two  beds,  instead  of  one, 
were  placed  beneath  the  comfortable,  which  Aunt  Betsy 
permitted  to  remain. 

"  I'm  mighty  feared  they'll  find  me  out,"  she  said,  tak 
ing  great  pains  in  the  making  of  her  bed,  and  succeed 
ing  so  well  that  when  her  task  was  done  there  was  no 
perceptible  difference  between  Helen's  bed  and  her  own, 
except  that  the  latter  was  a  few  inches  higher  than  the 
former,  and  more  nearly  resembled  a  pincushion  in  shape. 

There  was  but  little  chance  for  Aunt  Betsy  to  be  de- 


38  The  Cameron  Pride. 

tected,  for  Helen,  supposing  the  room  to  be  in  order,  had 
dismissed  it  from  her  mind,  and  was  training  a  rose  over  a 
frame,  while  Katy  was  on  her  way  to  Linwood  in  quest 
of  various  little  things  which  Mrs,  Lennox  considered 
indispensable  to  the  entertainment  of  a  man  like  Wilford 
Cameron.  Morris  was  out  on  his  piazza,  enjoying  the 
fine  prospect  he  had  of  the  sun  shining  across  the  pond, 
*  on  the  Silverton  hill,  and  just  gilding  the  top  of  the  little 
church  nestled  in  the  valley.  At  sight  of  Katy  be  rose 
and  greeted  her  with  the  kind,  brotherly  manner  now 
habitual  with  him,  for  he  had  learned  to  listen  quite 
calmly  while  Katy  talked  to  him,  as  she  often  did,  of 
Wilford  Cameron,  never  trying  to  conceal  from  him  how 
anxious  she  was  for  some  word  of  remembrance,  and  often 
asking  if  he  thought  Mr.  Cameron  would  ever  write  to  her. 
It  was  hard  at  first  for  Morris  to  listen,  and  harder  still 
to  keep  back  the  passionate  words  of  love  trembling  on  his 
lips — to  refrain  from  asking  her  to  take  him  in  Cameron's 
stead — him  who  had  loved  her  so  long.  But  Morris  had 
kept  silence,  and  as  the  weeks  went  by  there  came  insensibly 
into  his  heart  a  hope,  or  rather  conviction,  that  Wilford 
Cameron  had  forgotten  the  little  girl  who  might  in  time 
turn  to  him,  gladdening  his  home  just  as  she  did  every 
spot  where  her  fairy  foosteps  trod.  Morris  did  not  fully 
know  that  he  was  hugging  this  fond  dream  until  he  felt 
the  keen  pang  which  cut  like  a  dissector's  knife  as  Katy, 
turning  her  bright,  eager  face  up  to  him,  whispered  softly, 
"  He's  coming  to-morrow — he  surely  is ;  I  have  his  letter 
to  tell  me  so." 

Morris  could  not  see  the  sunshine  upon  the  distant 
hills,  although  it  lay  there  just  as  purple  and  warm  as  it 
had  a  moment  before.  There  was  an  instant  of  darkness, 
in  which  the  hills,  the  pond,  the  sun  setting,  and  Katy 
seemed  a  great  way  off  to  Morris,  trying  so  hard  to  be 
calm,  and  mentally  asking  for  help  to  do  so.  But  Katy's 
hat,  which  she  swung  in  her  hand,  had  become  entangled 
in  the  vines  encircling  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  piazza, 
and  so  she  did  not  notice  him  until  all  traces  of  his  agita 
tion  were  past,  and  he  could  talk  with  her  concerning 
Wilford;  then  playfully  lifting  her  basket  he  asked  what 
she  had  come  to  get. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  39 

This  was  not  the  first  time  the  great  house  had  ren 
dered  a  like  service  to  the  little  house,  and  so  Katy  did 
not  blush  when  she  explained  that  her  mother  wanted 
Morris's  forks,  and  salt-cellars,  and  spoons,  and  would  he 
be  kind  enough  to  bring  the  caster  over  himself,  and 
come  to  dinner  to-morrow  at  two  o'clock,  and  would  he 
go  for  Mr.  Cameron?  The  forks,  and  salt-cellars,  and 
spoons,  and  caster  were  cheerfully  promised,  while  Morris 
consented  to  go  for  the  guest;  and  then  Katy  came  to 
the  rest  of  her  errand,  the  part  distasteful  to  her,  inas 
much  as  it  concerned  Uncle  Ephraim — honest,  unsophis 
ticated  Uncle  Ephraim,  who  would  come  to  the  table  in  his 
shirt  sleeves!  This  was  the  burden  of  her  grief — the 
one  thing  she  dreaded  most,  because  she  knew  how  such 
an  act  was  looked  upon  by  Mr.  Cameron  who,  never 
having  lived  in  the  country  a  day  in  his  life,  except  as  he 
was  either  guest  or  traveler,  could  not  make  due  allowance 
for  these  little  departures  from  refinement,  so  obnoxious 
to  people  of  his  training. 

"  What  is  it,  Katy  ?  "  Morris  asked,  as  he  saw  how  she 
hesitated,  and  guessed  her  errand  was  not  all  told. 

"  I  hope  you  will  not  think  me  foolish  or  wicked," 
Katy  began,  her  eyes  filling  with  tears,  as  she  felt  that 
she  might  be  doing  Uncle  Ephraim  a  wrong  by  admitting 
that  in  any  way  he  could  be  improved.  "  I  certainly  love 
Uncle  Ephraim  dearly,  and  I  do  not  mind  his  ways,  but 
— but — Mr.  Cameron  may — that  is,  oh,  Cousin  Morris, 
did  you  ever  notice  how  Uncle  Ephraim  will  persist  in 
coming  to  the  table  in  his  shirt  sleeves  ?  " 

"Persist  is  hardly  the  word  to  use,"  Morris  replied, 
smiling  comically,  as  he  readily  understood  Katy's  mis 
givings.  "  Persist  would  imply  his  having  been  often 
remonstrated  with  for  that  breach  of  etiquette;  whereas 
I  doubt  whether  the  idea  that  it  was  not  in  strict  accord 
ance  with  politeness  was  ever  suggested  to  him/' 

"  Maybe  not/'  Katy  answered.  "  It  was  never  neces 
sary  till  now,  and  I  feel  so  disturbed,  for  I  want  Mr.  Cam 
eron  to  like  him,  and  if  he  does  that  I  am  sure  he  won't." 

"  Why  do  you  think  so  ?  "  Morris  asked,  and  Katy  re- 
piled,  "  He  is  so  particular,  and  was  so  very  angry  at  a 
little  hotel  between  Lakes  George  and  Champlain/  where 


40  The  Cameron  Pride. 

we  took  our  dinner  before  going  on  the  boat.  There  was 
a  man  along — a  real  good-natured  man,  too,  so  kind  to 
everybody — and,  as  the  day  was  warm,  he  carried  his  coat 
on  his  arm,  and  sat  down  to  the  table  right  opposite  me. 
Mr.  Cameron  was  so  indignant,  and  said  such  harsh  thing?, 
which  the  man  heard  I  am  sure,  for  he  put  on  his  coat 
directly,  and  I  saw  him  afterward  on  the  boat,  sweating 
like  rain,  and  looking  so  sorry,  as  if  he  had  been  guilty 
of  something  wrong.  I  am  sure,  though,  he  had  not  ?  " 

This  last  was  spoken  interrogatively,  and  Morris  replied : 
"  There  is  nothing  wrong  or  wicked  in  going  without 
one's  coat.  Everything  depends  upon  the  circumstances 
under  which  it  is  done.  For  me  to  appear  at  table  in 
my  shirt-sleeves  would  be  very  rude,  but  for  an  old  man 
like  Uncle  Ephraim  to  do  so  is  a  very  different  thing. 
Still,  Mr.  Cameron  may  see  from  another  standpoint. 
But  I  would  not  distress  myself.  That  love  is  not  worth 
much  which  would  think  the  less  of  you  for  anything  outre 
which  Uncle  Ephraim  may  do.  If  Mr.  Cameron  cannot 
stand  the  test  of  seeing  your  relatives  as  they  are,  he 
is  not  worth  the  long  face  you  are  wearing,"  and  Morris 
pinched  her  cheek  playfully. 

"  Yes,  I  know,'7  Katy  replied,  "  but  if  you  only  could 
manage  Uncle  Eph,  I  should  be  so  glad." 

Morris  had  little  hope  of  breaking  a  habit  of  years,  but 
he  promised  to  try  if  an  opportunity  should  occur,  and 
as  Mrs.  Hull,  the  housekeeper,  had  by  this  time  gathered 
up  the  articles  required  for  the  morrow,  Morris  took  the 
basket  in  his  own  hands  and  went  with  Katy  across  the 
fields. 

"  God  bless  you,  Katy,  and  may  Mr.  Cameron's  visit 
bring  you  as  much  happiness  as  you  anticipate,"  he  said, 
as  he  set  her  basket  upon  the  door-step  and  turned  back 
without  entering  the  house. 

Katy  noticed  the  peculiar  tone  of  his  voice,  and  again 
there  swept  over  her  the  same  thrill  she  had  felt  when 
Morris  first  said  to  her,  "  And  did  Katy  like  this  Mr. 
Cameron  ?  "  but  so  far  was  she  from  guessing  the  truth 
that  she  only  feared  she  might  have  displeased  him  by 
what  she  had  said  of  Uncle  Ephraim.  Perhaps  she  had 
wronged  him,  she  thought,  and  the  good  old  man,  rest- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  41 

ing  from  his  hard  day's  toil,  in  his  accustomed  chair,  with 
not  only  his  coat,  but  his  vest  and  boots  cast  aside,  little 
guessed  what  prompted  the  caresses  which  Katy  lavished 
upon  him,  sitting  in  his  lap  and  parting  his  snowy  hair, 
as  if  thus  she  would  make  amends  for  any  injury  done. 
Little  Katy-did  }  :•  Called  her,  looking  fondly  into  her 
bright,  pretty  far_,  and  thinking  how  terrible  it  would  be 
to  see  that  face  Windowed  with  pain  and  care.  Somehow, 
of  late,  Uncle  Ephraim  was  always  thinking  of  such  a 
calamity  as  more  than  possible  for  Katy,  and  when  that 
night  she  knelt  beside  him,  his  voice  was  full  of  pleading 
earnestness  as  he  prayed  that  God  would  keep  them  all 
in  safety,  and  bring  to  none  of  them  more  grief  or  pain 
than  was  necessary  to  fit  them  for  himself.  And  Katy, 
listening  to  him,  remembered  the  talk  down  in  the  meadow, 
when  she  sat  on  the  rock  beneath  the  butternut  tree.  But 
the  world,  while  it  held  Wilford  Cameron,  as  he  seemed 
to  her  now,  was  too  full  of  joy  for  her  to  dread  what  the 
future  might  have  in  store  for  her,  and  so  she  arose  from 
her  knees,  thinking  only  how  long  it  would  be  before  to 
morrow  noon,  wondering  if  Wilford  would  surely  be  there 
next  time  their  evening  prayers  were  said,  and  if  he  would 
notice  Uncle  Ephraim's  shocking  grammar ! 

CHAPTER  V. 


WILFORD  had  made  the  last  change  of  cars,  and  when 
he  stopped  again  it  would  be  at  Silverton.  He  did  dot 
expect  any  one  to  meet  him,  but  as  he  remembered  the  man 
whom  he  had  seen  greeting  Katy,  he  thought  it  not 
unlikely  that  he  might  be  there  now,  laughing  to  himself 
as  he  pictured  his  mother's  horror,  could  she  see  him  riding 
along  in  the  corn-colored  vehicle  which  Uncle  Ephraim 
drove.  But  that  vehicle  was  safe  at  home  beneath  the 
shed,  while  Uncle  Ephraim  was  laying  a  stone  wall  upon 
the  huckleberry  hill,  and  the  handsome  carriage  waiting 
at  Silverton  depot  was  certainly  unexceptionable ;  while  in 
the  young  man  who,  as  the  train  stopped  and  Wilford 
stepped  out  upon  the  platform,  came  to  meet  him,  asking 
if  he  were  Mr.  Cameron,  Wilford  recognized  the  true 


42  The  Cameron  Pride. 

gentleman,  and  his  spirits  rose  at  once  as  Morris  said  to 
him,  "  I  am  Miss  Lennox's  cousin,  deputed  by  her  to  take 
charge  of  you  for  a  time." 

Wilford  had  heard  of  Dr.  Morris  Grant  and  of  his 
kindness  to  poor  little  Jamie,  who  died  in  Paris;  he  had 
heard  too  that  his  proud  sister  Juno  had  tried  her  powers 
of  coquetry  in  vain  upon  the  grave  American;  but  he 
had  no  suspicion  that  his  new  acquaintance  was  the  one 
until  Morris  mentioned  having  met  his  family  in  France 
and  inquired  after  their  welfare. 

After  that  the  conversation  became  very  familiar,  and 
the  ride  seemed  so  short  that  Wilford  was  surprised  when, 
as  they  turned  a  corner  in  the  sandy  road,  Morris  pointed 
to  the  farm-house,  saying :  "  We  are  almost  there — that 
is  the  place." 

"That!"  and  Wilford's  voice  indicated  his  disappoint 
ment,  for  in  all  his  mental  pictures  of  Katy  Lennox's 
home  he  had  never  imagined  anything  like  this. 

Large,  rambling  and  weird-like,  with  something  lofty 
and  imposing,  just  because  it  was  so  ancient,  was  the 
house  he  had  in  his  mind,  and  he  could  not  conceal  his 
chagrin  as  his  eye  took  in  the  small,  low  building,  with 
its  high  windows  and  tiny  panes  of  glass,  paintless  and 
blindless,  standing  there  alone  among  the  hills.  Morris 
understood  it  perfectly ;  but  without  Deeming  to  notice  it, 
remarked,  "  It  is  the  oldest  house  probably  in  the  country, 
and  should  be  invaluable  on  that  account.  I  think  we 
Americans  are  too  fond  of  change  and  too  much  inclined 
to  throw  aside  all  that  reminds  us  of  the  past.  Now  I 
like  the  farm-house  just  because  it  is  old  and  unpreten 
tious." 

"Yes,  certainly/*  Wilford  answered,  looking  ruefully 
around  him  at  the  stone  wall,  half  tumbled  down,  the 
tall  well-sweep,  and  the  patch  of  sun-flowers  in  the  gar 
den,  with  Aunt  Betsy  bending  behind  them,  picking  to 
matoes  for  dinner,  and  shading  her  eyes  with  her  hand 
to  look  at  him  as  he  drove  up. 

It  was  all  very  rural,  no  doubt,  and  very  charming  to 
people  who  liked  it,  but  Wilford  did  not  like  it,  and  he 
was  wishing  himself  safely  in  Xew  York  when  a  golden 
head  flashed  for  an  instant  before  the  window  and  then 


The  Cameron  Pride.  43 

disappeared  as  Katy  emerged  into  view,  waiting  at  the 
door  to  receive  him  and  looking  so  sweetly  in  her  dress  of 
white  with  the  scarlet  geranium  blossoms  in  her  hair  that 
Wilford  forgot  the  homeliness  of  the  surroundings,  think 
ing  only  of  her  and  how  soft  and  warm  was  the  little  hand 
he  held  as  she  led  him  into  the  parlor.  He  did  not  know 
she  was  so  beautiful,  he  said  to  himself,  and  he  feasted  hip 
eyes  upon  her,  forgetful  for  a  time  of  all  else.  But  after 
wards,  when  Katy  left  him  for  a  moment,  he  had  time  tu 
observe  the  well-worn  carpet,  the  six  cane-seated  chairs, 
large  stuffed  rocking-chair,  the  fall-leaf  table,  with  its 
plain  wool  spread,  and  lastly  the  really  expensive  piano, 
the  only  handsome  piece  of  furniture  the  room  con 
tained,  and  which  he  rightly  guessed  must  have  come  from 
Morris. 

"  What  would  Juno  or  Mark  say  ?  "  he  kept  repeating 
to  himself  half  shuddering  as  he  recalled  the  bantering 
proposition  to  accompany  him  made  by  Mark  Bay,  the 
only  young  man  whom  he  considered  fully  his  equal  in 
New  York. 

Wilford  knew  these  feelings  were  unworthy  of  him, 
and  he  tried  to  shake  them  off,  listlessly  turning  over  the 
books  upon  the  table — books  which  betokened  in  some 
one  both  taste  and  talent  of  no  low  order. 

"  Mark's  favorite,"  he  said,  lifting  up  a  volume  of  Schil 
ler  ;  and  turning  to  the  fly-leaf  he  read,  "  Helen  Lennox, 
from  Cousin  Morris,"  just  as  Katy  returned  with  her 
sister,  whom  she  presented  to  the  stranger. 

Helen  was  prepared  to  like  him  because  Katy  did,  and 
her  first  thought  was  that  he  was  very  fine  looking;  but 
when  she  met  his  cold,  proud  eyes,  and  knew  how  closely 
he  was  scrutinizing  her,  there  arose  in  her  heart  a  feeling 
of  dislike  which  she  could  never  wholly  conquer.  He  was 
very  polite  to  her,  but  something  in  his  manner  annoyed 
and  irritated  her,  it  was  so  cool,  so  condescending,  as 
if  he  endured  her  merely  because  she  was  Katy's  sister, 
nothing  more. 

"  Eather  pretty,  more  character  than  Katy,  but  odd  and 
self-willed,  with  no  kind  of  style,"  was  Wilford's  running 
comment  on  Helen  as  he  took  her  in  from  the  plain  arrange 
ment  of  her  dark  hair  to  the  fit  of  her  French  calico  and 
the  cut  of  her  linen  collar. 


44  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Fashionable  dress  would  improve  her  very  much,  he 
thought,  turning  with  a  feeling  of  relief  to  Katy,  whom 
nothing  could  disfigure,  and  who  was  now  watching  the 
door  eagerly  for  the  entrance  of  her  mother.  That  lady 
had  spent  a  good  deal  of  time  at  her  toilet,  and  she  came 
in  at  last,  flurried,  fidgety,  and  very  red,  both  from  exercise 
and  the  bright-hued  ribbons  streaming  from  her  cap  and 
sadly  at  variance  with  the  color  of  the  dress.  Wilford 
noticed  the  discrepancy  at  once,  and  noticed  too  how  little 
style  there  was  about  the  nervous  woman  greeting  him  so 
deferentially,  and  evidently  regarding  him  as  something 
infinitely  superior  to  herself.  Wilford  had  looked  with 
indifference  on  Helen,  but  it  would  take  a  stronger  word 
to  express  his  opinion  of  the  mother.  Morris,  who  re 
mained  to  dinner,  was  in  the  parlor  now,  and  in  his 
presence  Wilford  felt  more  at  ease,  more  as  if  he  had  found 
an  affinity.  Uncle  Ephraim  was  not  there,  having  eaten 
his  bowl  of  milk  and  gone  back  to  his  stone  wall,  so  that 
upon  Morris  devolved  the  duties  of  host,  and  he  courteously 
led  the  way  to  the  little  dining-room,  where  the  table 
was  loaded  with  the  good  things  Aunt  Hannah  had  pre 
pared,  burning  and  browning  her  wrinkled  face,  which 
nevertheless  smiled  pleasantly  upon  the  stranger  presented 
as  Mr.  Cameron. 

About  Aunt  Hannah  there  was  something  naturally  lady 
like,  and  Wilford  recognized  it  at  oncfe;  but  when  it  came 
to  Aunt  Betsy,  of  whom  he  had  never  heard,  he  felt  for  a 
moment  as  if  by  being  there  in  such  promiscuous  com 
pany  he  had  somehow  fallen  from  the  Camerons'  high 
estate.  By  way  of  pleasing  the  girls  and  doing  honor  to 
their  guest,  Aunt  Betsy  had  donned  her  very  best  attire, 
wearing  the  slate-colored  pongee  dress,  bought  twenty 
years  before,  and  actually  sporting  a  set  of  Helen's  cast- 
off  hoops,  which  being  too  large  for  the  dimensions  of  her 
scanty  skirt,  gave  her  anything  but  the  graceful  appear 
ance  she  intended. 

"  Oh,  auntie ! "  was  Katy's  involuntary  exclamation, 
while  Helen  bit  her  lip  with  vexation,  for  the  hoop  had 
been  an  afterthought  to  Aunt  Betsy  just  before  going  in 
to  dinner. 

But  the  good  old  lady  never  dreamed  of  shocking  any- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  ^ 

one  with  her  attempts  at  fashion;  and  curtsying  very  low 
to  Mr.  Cameron,  she  hoped  for  a  better  acquaintance,  and 
then  took  her  seat  at  the  table,  just  where  each  movement 
could  be  distinctly  seen  by  Wilford,  scanning  her  so  in 
tently  ae  scarcely  to  hear  the  reverent  words  with  which 
Morris  asked  a  blessing  upon  themselves  and  the  food  so 
abundantly  prepared.  They  could  hardly  have  gotten 
through  that  first  dinner  without  Morris,  who  adroitly  led 
the  conversation  into  channels  which  he  knew  would  in 
terest  Mr.  Cameron,  and  divert  his  mind  from  what  was 
passing  around  him,  and  so  the  dinner  proceeded  quietly 
enough,  Wilford  discovering,  ere  its  close,  that  Mrs.  Len 
nox  had  really  some  pretensions  to  a  lady,  while  Helen's 
dress  and  collar  ceased  to  be  obnoxious,  as  he  watched  the 
play  of  her  fine  features  and  saw  her  eyes  kindle  as  she 
took  a  modest  part  in  the  conversation  when  it  turned  on 
books  and  literature. 

Meanwhile  Katy  kept  very  silent,  but  when,  after  dinner 
was  over  and  Morris  was  gone,  she  went  with  Wilford 
down  to  the  shore  of  the  pond,  her  tongue  was  loosed,  and 
he  found  again  the  little  fairy  who  had  so  bewitched  him 
a  few  weeks  before.  And  yet  there  was  a  load  upon  his 
heart,  a  shadow  upon  his  brow,  for  he  knew  now  that 
between  Katy's  family  and  his  there  was  a  social  gulf 
which  never  could  be  crossed  by  either  party.  He  might 
bear  Katy  over,  it  was  true,  but  would  she  not  look  long 
ingly  back  to  her  humble  home,  and  might  he  not  some 
times  be  greatly  chagrined  by  the  sudden  appearing  of 
some  one  of  this  low-bred  family  who  did  not  seem  to 
realize  how  ignorant  they  were,  or  how  far  below  him  in 
the  social  scale?  Poor  Wilford!  he  winced  and  shivered 
when  he  thought  of  Aunt  Betsy,  in  her  antiquated  pongee, 
and  remembered  that  she  was  a  near  relative  of  the  little 
maiden  sporting  so  playfully  around  him,  stealing  his  heart 
away  in  spite  of  his  family  pride,  and  making  him  more 
deeply  in  love  than  ever.  It  was  very  pleasant  down  by  the 
pond,  and  Wilford  kept  Katy  there  until  the  sun'  was 
going  down  and  they  heard  in  the  distance  the  tinkle  of 
a  bell  as  the  deacon's  cows  plodded  slowly  homeward. 
Supper  was  waiting  for  them,  and  with  his  appetite  sharp 
ened  by  his  walk,  Wilford  found  no  cause  of  complaint 


46  The  Cameron  Pride. 

against  Aunt  Hannah's  viands,  though  he  smiled  mentally 
as  he  accepted  the  piece  of  apple  pie  Aunt  Betsy  offered 
him,  saying,  by  way  of  recommendation,  that  "  she  made 
the  crust  but  Catherine  peeled  and  sliced  the  apples." 

The  deacon  had  not  returned  from  his  work,  and  Wil- 
ford  did  not  see  him  until  he  came  suddenly  upon  him, 
seated  in  the  wood-shed  door,  resting  after  the  labor  of 
the  day.  "  The  young  man  was  welcome  to  Silverton," 
he  said,  "  but  he  must  excuse  him  from  visitin'  much  that 
night,  for  the  cows  was  to  milk  and  the  chores  to  do,  as 
he  never  kep'  no  boy."  The  "  chores  "  were  done  at  last, 
just  as  the  clock  pointed  to  half-past  eight,  the  hour  for 
family  worship.  Unaccustomed  as  Wilford  was  to  such 
things,  he  felt  the  influence  of  the  deacon's  voice  as  he 
read  from  the  word  of  God,  and  involuntarily  found  him 
self  kneeling  when  Katy  knelt,  noticing  the  deacon's  gram 
mar  it  is  true,  but  still  listening  patiently  to  the  lengthy 
prayer,  which  included  him  together  with  the  rest  of  man 
kind. 

There  was  no  chance  of  seeing  Katy  alone,  that  night, 
and  so  full  two  hours  before  his  usual  custom  Wilford  re 
tired  to  the  little  room  to  which  the  deacon  conducted  him, 
sa}'ing,  as  he  put  down  the  lamp,  "  You'll  find  it  pretty 
snug  quarters,  I  guess,  for  such  a  close,  muggy  night  as 
this." 

And  truly  they  were  snug  quarters,  Wilford  thought, 
as  he  surveyed  the  dimensions  of  the  r6om;  but  there  was 
no  alternative,  and  a  few  moments  found  him  in  the  centre 
of  the  two  feather  beds,  neither  Helen  nor  Katy  having 
discovered  the  addition  made  by  Aunt  Betsy,  and  which 
came  near  being  the  death  of  the  New  York  guest.  To 
sleep  was  impossible,  and  never  for  a  moment  did  Wilford 
lose  his  consciousness  or  iorget  to  accuse  himself  of  being 
an  idiot  for  coming  into  that  heathenish  neighborhood 
after  a  wife  when  in  New  York  there  were  so  many  girls 
ready  and  waiting  for  him. 

"  I'll  go  back  to-morrow  morning,"  he  said,  striking  a 
match  he  consulted  his  Railway  Guide  to  find  when  the  first 
train  passed  Silverton,  feeling  comforted  to  know  that  only 
a  few  hours  intervened  between  him  and  freedom. 

But  alas  for  Wilford!     He  was  but  a  man,  subject  to 


The  Cameron  Pride.  47 

man's  caprices,  and  when  next  morning  he  met  Katy  Len 
nox,  looking  in  her  light  muslin  as  pure  and  fair  as  the 
white  blossoms  twined  in  her  wavy  hair,  his  resolution 
began  to  waver.  Perhaps  there  was  a  decent  hotel  in  Silver- 
ton  ;  he  would  inquire  of  Dr.  Grant ;  at  all  events  he  would 
not  take  the  first  train,  though  he  might  the  next;  and  so 
he  stayed,  eating  fried  apples  and  beefsteak,  but  forgetting 
to  criticise,  in  his  appreciation  of  the  rich  thick  cream 
poured  into  his  coffee,  and  the  sweet,  golden  butter,  which 
melted  in  soft  waves  upon  the  flaky  rolls.  Again  Uncle 
Ephraim  was  absent,  having  gone  to  mill  before  Wilford 
left  his  room,  nor  was  he  visible  to  the  young  man  until 
after  dinner,  for  Wilford  did  not  go  home,  but  drove  in 
stead  with  Katy  in  the  carriage  which  Morris  sent  round, 
excusing  himself  from  coming  on  the  plea  of  being  too 
busy,  but  saying  he  would  join  them  at  tea,  if  possible. 
Wilford's  mind  was  not  yet  fully  made  up,  so  he  concluded 
to  remain  another  day  and  see  more  of  Katy's  family. 
Accordingly,  after  dinner,  he  bent  his  energies  to  culti 
vating  them  all,  from  Helen  down  to  Aunt  Betsy,  who 
proved  the  most  transparent  of  the  four.  Arrayed  again  in 
tfie  pongee,  but  this  time  without  the  hoop,  she  came  into 
the  parlor,  bringing  her  calico  patch-work,  which  she  in 
formed  him  was  pieced  in  the  "  herrin'  bone  pattern  "  and 
intended  for  Katy ;  telling  him  further,  that  the  feather  bed 
on  which  he  slept  was  also  a  part  of  "  Catherine's  setting 
out,"  and  was  made  from  feathers  she  picked  herself,  show 
ing  him  as  proof  a  mark  upon  her  arm,  left  there  by  the 
gray  goose,  which  had  proved  a  little  refractory  when  she 
tried  to  draw  a  stocking  over  its  head. 

Wilford  groaned  and  Katy's  chance  for  being  Mrs.  Cam 
eron  was  growing  constantly  less  and  less  as  he  saw  more 
and  more  how  vast  was  the  difference  between  the  Barlows 
and  himself.  Helen,  he  acknowledged,  was  passable, 
though  she  was  not  one  whom  he  could  ever  introduce  into 
New  York  society;  and  he  was  wondering  how  Katy 
chanced  to  be  so  unlike  the  rest,  when  Uncle  Ephraim  came 
up  from  the  meadow,  and  announced  himself  as  ready  now 
to  visit,  apologizing  for  his  apparent  neglect,  and  seeming 
so  absolutely  to  believe  that  his  company  was  desirable, 
that  Wilford  felt  amused,  wondering  again  what  Juno, 


48  The  Cameron  Pride. 

or  even  Mark  Kay,  would  think  of  the  rough  old  man, 
sitting  with  his  chair  tipped  back  against  the  wall,  and 
going  occasionally  to  the  door  to  relieve  himself  of  his  to- 
hacco  juice,  for  chewing  was  one  of  the  deacon's  weak 
nesses.  His  pants  were  faultlessly  alean,  and  his  vest  was 
buttoned  nearly  up  to  his  throat,  but  his  coat  was  hanging 
on  a  nail  out  by  the  kitchen  door,  and,  to  Katy's  distress 
and  Wilford's  horror,  he  sat  among  them  in  his  shirt 
sleeves,  all  unconscious  of  harm  or  of  the  disquiet  awakened 
in  the  bosom  of  the  young  man,  who  on  that  point  was 
foolishly  fastidious,  and  who  showed  by  his  face  how  much 
he  was  annoyed.  Not  even  the  presence  of  Morris,  who 
came  about  tea  time,  was  of  any  avail  to  lift  the  cloud 
from  his  brow,  and  he  seemed  moody  and  silent  until 
supper  was  announced.  This  was  the  first  opportunity 
Morris  had  had  of  trying  his  powers  of  persuasion  upon  the 
deacon,  and  now,  at  a  hint  from  Katy,  he  said  to  him  in 
an  aside,  as  they  were  passing  into  the  dining-room :  "  Sup 
pose,  Uncle  Ephraim,  you  put  on  your  coat  for  once.  It 
is  better  than  coming  to  the  table  so." 

"  Pooh,"  was  Uncle  Ephraim's  innocent  rejoinder,  spoken 
loudly  enough  for  Wilford  to  hear,  "  I  shan't  catch  cold, 
for  I  am  used  to  it;  besides  that,  I  never  could  stand  the 
racket  this  hot  weather." 

In  his  simplicity  he  did  not  even  suspect  Morris's  mo 
tive,  but  imputed  it  wholly  to  concern  for  his  health.  And 
so  Wilford  Cameron  found  himself  seated  next  to  a  man 
who  wilfully  trampled  upon  all  rules  of  etiquette,  shocking 
him  in  his  most  sensitive  points,  and  making  him  thor 
oughly  disgusted  with  the  country  and  country  people 
generally.  All  but  Morris  and  Katy — he  did  make  an  ex 
ception  in  their  favor,  leaning  most  to  Morris,  whom  he 
admired  more  and  more,  as  he  became  better  acquainted 
with  him,  wondering  how  he  could  content  himself  to  settle 
down  quietly  in  Silverton,  when  he  would  surely  die  if 
compelled  to  live  there  for  a  week.  Something  like  this  he 
said  to  Dr.  Grant,  when  that  evening  they  sat  together  in 
the  handsome  parlor  at  Linwood,  for  Morris  kindly  in 
vited  him  to  spend  the  night  with  him. 

"  I  stay  in  Silverton,  first,  because  I  think  I  can  do  more 
good  here  than  elsewhere,  and  secondly,  because  I  really 


The  Cameron  Pride.  49 

like  the  country  and  the  country  people;  for,  strange  and 
uncouth  as  they  may  seem  to  you,  who  never  lived  among" 
them,,  they  have  kinder,  truer  hearts  beating  beneath  their 
rough  exteriors,  than  are  often  in  the  city." 

"  This  was  Morris's  reply,  and  in  the  conversation  which 
ensued  Wilford  Cameron  caught  glimpses  of  a  nobler, 
higher  phase  of  manhood  than  he  had  thought  existed, 
feeling  an  unbounded  respect  for  one  who,  because  he  be 
lieved  it  to  be  his  duty,  was,  as  it  seemed  to  him,  wasting 
his  life  among  people  who  could  not  appreciate  his  char 
acter,  though  they  might  idolize  the  man.  But  this  did 
not  reconcile  Wilford  one  whit  the  more  to  Silverton. 
Uncle  Ephraim  had  completed  the  work  commenced  by 
the  two  feather  beds,  and  at  breakfast,  next  morning,  he 
announced  his  intention  of  returning  to  Xew  York  that 
day.  To  this  Morris  offered  no  objection,  but  asked  to  be 
remembered  to  the  mother  and  sisters,  and  then  invited 
Wilford  to  stop  altogether  at  Linwood  when  he  came  again 
to  Silverton. 

"  Thank  you ;  but  it  is  hardly  probable  that  I  shall  be 
here  very  soon,"  Wilford  replied,  adding,  as  he  met  the 
peculiar  glance  of  Morris's  eye,  "  I  found  Miss  Katy  a 
delightful  traveling  acquaintance,  and  on  my  way  from 
Newport  thought  I  would  renew  it  and  see  a  little  of 
rustic  life." 

Poor  Katy !  how  her  heart  would  have  ached  could  she 
have  heard  those  words  and  understood  their  meaning, 
just  as  Morris  did,  feeling  a  rising  indignation  for  the 
man  with  whom  he  could  not  be  absolutely  angry,  he  was 
so  self-possessed,  so  pleasant  and  gentlemanly,  while  bet 
ter  than  all,  was  he  not  virtually  giving  Katy  up?  and 
if  he  did  might  she  not  turn  at  last  to  him? 

These  were  Morris's  thoughts  as  he  walked  with  Wilford 
across  the  fields  to  the  farm-house,  where  Katy  met  them 
with  her  sunniest  smile,  singing  to  them,  at  Wilford's  re 
quest,  her  sweetest  song,  and  making  him  half  wish  he 
could  revoke  his  hasty  decision  and  tarry  a  little  longer. 
But  it  was  now  too  late  for  that,  the  carriage  which  would 
take  him  to  the  depot  was  already  on  its  way  from  Lin- 
wood;  and  when  the  song  was  ended  he  told  her  of  his 
intentions  to  leave  on  the  next  train,  feeling  a  pang  when 


50  The  Cameron  Pride. 

he  saw  how  the  blood  left  her  cheek  and  lip,  and  then  came 
surging  back  as  she  said  timidly,  "  Why  need  you  leave 
so  soon?" 

"  I  have  already  outstayed  my  time.  I  thought  of  going 
yesterday,  and  my  partner,  Mr.  Kay,  will  be  expecting  me," 
Wilford  replied,  laying  his  hand  upon  Katy's  hair,  while 
Morris  and  Helen  stole  quietly  from  the  room. 

Thus  left  to  himself,  Wilford  continued,  "Maybe  I'll 
come  again  sometime.  Would  you  like  to  have  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  and  Katy's  blue  eyes  were  lifted  pleadingly  to 
the  young  man,  who  had  never  loved  her  so  well  as  at 
that  very  moment  when  resolving  to  cast  her  off. 

For  a  moment  Wilford  was  strongly  tempted  to  throw 
all  pride  aside,  and  ask  that  j^oung  girl  to  be  his;  but 
thoughts  of  his  mother,  of  Juno  and  Bell,  and  more  than 
all,  thoughts  of  Uncle  Ephraim  and  his  sister  Betsy,  arose 
in  time  to  prevent  it,  and  so  he  only  kissed  her  forehead 
caressingly  as  he  said  good-bye,  telling  her  that  he  should 
not  soon  forget  his  visit  to  Silverton,  and  then,  as  the 
carriage  drove  up,  going  out  to  where  the  remainder  of  the 
family  were  standing  together  and  commenting  upon  his 
sudden  departure. 

It  was  not  sudden,  he  said,  trying  to  explain.  He 
really  had  thought  seriously  of  going  yesterday,  and  feeling 
that  he  had  something  to  atone  for,  he  tried  to  be  un 
usually  gracious  as  he  shook  their  hands,  thanking  them 
for  their  kindness,  but  seeming  wholly  oblivious  to  Aunt 
Betsy's  remark  that  "  she  hoped  to  see  him  again,  if  not 
at  Silverton,  in  New  York,  where  she  wanted  dreadfully 
to  visit,  but  never  had  on  account  of  the  'bominable  prices 
charged  to  the  taverns,  and  she  hadn't  no  acquaintances 
there." 

This  was  Aunt  Betsy's  parting  remark,  and,  after  Katy, 
Aunt  Betsy  liked  Wilford  Cameron  better  than  any  one 
of  the  group  which  watched  him  as  he  drove  from  their 
door.  Aunt  Hannah  thought  him  too  much  stuck  up  for 
farmers'  folks;  Mrs.  Lennox,  whose  ambition  would  have 
accounted  him  a  most  desirable  match  for  her  daughter, 
-could  not  deny  that  his  manner  towards  them,  though 
polite  in  the  extreme,  was  that  of  a  superior  to  people 
greatly  beneath  him;  while  Helen,  who  saw  clearer  than 


The  Cameron  Pride.  51 

the  rest,  read  him  aright,  and  detected  the  struggle  between 
his  pride  and  his  love  for  poor  little  Katy,  whom  she 
found  sitting  on  the  floor,  just  where  Wilford  left  her 
standing,  her  head  resting  on  the  chair  and  her  face  hidden 
in  her  hands  as  she  sobbed  quietly,  hardly  knowing  why 
she  cried  or  what  to  answer  when  Helen  asked  what  was 
the  matter. 

"  It  was  so  queer  in  him  to  go  so  soon,"  she  said;  "just 
as  if  he  were  offended  about  something." 

"  Never  mind,  Katy,"  Helen  said,  soothingly.  "  If  he 
cares  for  you  he  vill  come  back  again.  He  could  not 
stay  here  always,  of  course;  and  I  must  say  I  respect 
him  for  attending  to  his  business,  if  he  has  any.  He  has 
been  gone  from  home  for  weeks,  you  know." 

This  was  Helen's  reasoning;  but  it  did  not  comfort 
Katy,  whose  face  looked  white  and  sad,  as  she  moved  list 
lessly  about  the  house,  almost  crying  again  when  she  heard 
in  the  distance  the  whistle  of  the  train  which  was  to  carry 
Wilford  Cameron  away  and  end  his  first  visit  to  Silverton. 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

IN   THE   SPRING. 

KATY  LENNOX  had  been  very  sick,  and  the  bed  where 
Wilford  slept  had  stood  in  the  parlor  during  the  long 
weeks  while  the  obstinate  fever  ran  its  course ;  but  she  was 
better  now,  and  sat  nearly  all  day  before  the  fire,  some 
times  trying  to  crochet  a  little,  and  again  turning  over 
the  books  which  Morris  had  bought  to  interest  her — Morris, 
the  kind  physician,  who  had  attended  her  so  faithfully, 
never  leaving  her  while  the  fever  was  at  its  height,  unless 
it  was  necessary,  but  staying  with  her  day  and  night, 
watching  her  symptoms  carefully,  and  praying  so  earnestly 
that  she  might  not  die,  not,  at  least,  until  some  token  had 
been  given  that  again  in  the  better  world  he  should  find 
her,  where  partings  were  unknown  and  where  no  Wilford 
Camerons  could  contest  the  prize  with  him.  Xot  that  he 
was  greatly  afraid  of  Wilford  now;  that  fear  had  mostly 
died  away  just  as  the  hope  had  died  from  Katy's  heart  that 
she  would  ever  meet  him  again. 

Since  the  September  morning  when  he  left  her,  she  had 


52  The  Cameron  Pride. 

not  heard  from  him  except  once,  when  in  the  winter  Morm 
had  been  to  New  York,  and  having  a  few  hours''  leisure 
on  his  hands  had  called  at  Wilford's  office,  receiving  a  most 
cordial  reception,  and  meeting  with  Mark  Bay,  who  im 
pressed  him  as  a  man  quite  as  highly  cultivated  as  Wil 
ford,  and  possessed  of  more  character  and  principle.  This 
call  was  not  altogether  of  Morris's  seeking,  but  was  made 
rather  with  a  view  to  pleasing  Katy,  who,  when  she  learned 
that  he  was  going  to  New  York,  had  said  inadvertently, 
"  Oh,  I  do  so  hope  you'll  meet  with  Mr.  Cameron,  for  then 
we  shall  know  that  he  is  neither  sick  nor  dead,  as  I  have 
sometimes  feared." 

And  so  Morris  had  sought  his  rival,  feeling  repaid  for 
the  effort  it  had  cost  him,  when  he  saw  how  glad  Wilford 
seemed  to  meet  him.  The  first  commonplaces  over,  Wil 
ford  inquired  for  Katy.  Was  she  well,  and  how  was  she 
occupying  her  time  this  winter? 

"  Both  Helen  and  Katy  are  pupils  of  mine,"  Morris  re 
plied,  "  reciting  their  lessons  to  me  every  day  when  the 
weather  will  admit  of  their  crossing  the  fields  to  Linwood. 
We  have  often  wondered  what  had  become  of  you,  that 
you  did  not  even  let  us  know  of  your  safe  arrival  home," 
he  added,  looking  Wilford  fully  in  the  eye,  and  rather 
enjoying  his  confusion  as  he  tried  to  apologize. 

He  had  intended  writing,  but  an  unusual  amount  of 
business  had  occupied  his  time.  "  Mark  will  tell  you  how 
brusy  I  was,"  and  he  turned  appealingly  to  his  partner,  in 
whose  expressive  eyes  Morris  read  that  Silverton  was  not 
unknown  to  him. 

But  if  Wilford  had  told  him  anything  derogatory  of 
the  farm-house  or  its  inmates,  it  did  not  appear  in  Mr. 
Ray's  manner,  as  he  replied  that  Mr.  Cameron  had  been 
very  busy  ever  since  his  return  from  Silverton,  adding, 
"  From  what  Cameron  tells  me  of  your  neighborhood,  there 
must  be  some  splendid  hunting  and  fishing  there,  and  I 
had  last  fall  half  a  mind  to  try  it." 

This  time  there  was  something  comical  in  the  eyes  turned 
so  mischievously  upon  Wilford,  who  colored  scarlet  for  an 
instant,  but  soon  recovered  his  composure,  and  invited 
Morris  home  with  him  to  dinner. 

"I  shall  not  take  a  refusal,"  he  said,  as  Morris  began 


The  Cameron  Pride.  53 

to  decline.  "Mother  and  the  young  ladies  will  be  de 
lighted  to  see  you  again.  Mark  will  go  with  us,  of  course." 

There  was  something  so  hearty  in  Wilford's  invitation 
that  Morris  did  not  again  object,  and  two  hours  later 
found  him  in  the  drawing  room  at  No. — Fifth  Avenue, 
receiving  the  friendly  greetings  of  Mrs.  Cameron  and  her 
daughters,  each  of  whom  vied  with  the  other  in  their  polite 
attentions  to  him. 

Morris  did  not  regret  having  accepted  Wilford's  invita 
tion  to  dinner,  as  by  this  means  he  saw  the  home  which 
had  well  nigh  been  little  Katy  Lennox's.  She  would  be 
sadly  out  of  place  here  with  these  people,  he  thought,  and 
he  looked  upon  all  their  formality  and  ceremony,  and 
then  contrasted  it  with  what  Katy  had  been  accustomed 
to.  Juno  would  kill  her  outright,  was  his  next  mental 
comment,  as  he  watched  that  haughty  young  lady,  dividing 
her  coquetries  between  himself  and  Mr.  Ray,  who  being 
every  way  desirable,  both  in  point  of  family  and  wealth, 
was  evidently  her  favorite.  She  had  colored  scarlet  when 
first  presented  to  Dr.  Grant,  and  her  voice  had  trembled 
as  she  took  his  offered  hand,  for  she  remembered  the  time 
when  her  liking  had  not  been  concealed,  and  was  only 
withdrawn  at  the  last  because  she  found  how  useless  it 
was  to  waste  her  affections  upon  one  who  did  not  prize 
them. 

When  Wilford  first  returned  from  Silverton  he  had,  as 
a  sure  means  of  forgetting  Katy,  told  his  mother  and 
sister  something  of  the  farm-house  and  its  inmates;  and 
Juno,  while  ridiculing  both  Helen  and  Katy,  had  felt  a 
fierce  pang  of  jealousy  in  knowing  they  were  cousins  to 
Morris  Grant,  who  lived  so  near  that  he  could,  if  he  liked, 
see  them  every  day.  In  Paris  Juno  had  suspected  that 
somebody  was  standing  between  her  and  Dr.  Grant,  and 
with  the  quick  insight  of  a  smart,  bright  woman,  she 
guessed  that  it  was  one  of  these  coubins — Katy  most  likely, 
her  brother  having  described  Helen  as  very  commonplace, 
— and  for  a  time  she  had  hated  poor,  innocent  Katy  most 
cordially  for  having  come  between  her  and  the  only  man  for 
whom  she  had  ever  really  cared.  Gradually,  however,  the 
feeling  died  away,  but  was  revived  again  at  sight  of  Morris 
Grant,  and  at  the  table  she  could  not  forbear  saying  to 
him. 


54  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"By  the  way,  Dr.  Grant,  why  did  you  never  tell  us  of 
those  charming  cousins,  when  you  were  in  Paris  ?  Brother 
Will  describes  one  of  them  as  a  little  water-lily,  she  is  so 
fair  and  pretty.  Katy,  I  think,  is  her  name.  Wilford, 
isn't  it  Katy  Lennox  whom  you  think  so  beautiful,  and 
with  whom  you  are  more  than  half  in  love  ? " 

"  Yes,  it  is  Katy,"  and  Wilford  spoke  sternly,  for  he 
did  not  like  Juno's  bantering  tone,  but  he  could  not  stop 
her,  and  she  went  on, 

"  Are  they  your  own  cousins,  Dr.  Grant  ?  " 

"  Xo,  they  are  removed  from  me  two  or  three  degrees, 
their  father  having  been  only  my  second  cousin." 

The  fact  that  Katy  Lennox  was  not  nearly  enough  re 
lated  to  Dr.  Grant  to  prevent  his  marryincr  her  if  he  liked, 
did  not  improve  Juno's  amiability,  and  she  continued  to 
ask  questions  concerning  both  Katy  and  Helen,  the  latter 
of  whom  she  persisted  in  thinking  was  strong-minded, 
until  Mark  Eay  came  to  the  rescue,  diverting  her  attention 
by  adroitly  complimenting  her  in  some  way,  and  so  re 
lieving  Wilford  and  Morris,  both  of  whom  were  exceedingly 
annoyed. 

"  When  Will  visits  Silverton  again  I  mean  to  go  with 
him,"  she  said  to  Morris  at  parting,  but  he  did  not  tell  her 
that  such  an  event  would  give  him  the  greatest  pleasure. 
On  the  contrary,  he  merely  replied, 

"  If  you  do  you  will  find  plenty  of  ,room  at  Linwood 
for  those  four  trunks  which  I  remember  seeing  in  Paris, 
and  your  brother  will  tell  you  whether  I  am  a  hospitable 
host  or  not." 

Biting  her  lip  with  chagrin,  Juno  went  back  to  the 
drawing-room,  while  Morris  returned  to  his  hotel,  accom 
panied  by  Wilford,  who  passed  the  entire  evening  with 
him,  appearing  somewhat  constrained,  as  if  there  was  some 
thing  on  his  mind  which  he  wished  to  say ;  but  it  remained 
unspoken,  and  there  was  no  allusion  to  Silverton  until,  as 
Wilford  was  leaving,  he  said, 

"  Remember  me  kindly  to  the  Silverton  friends,  and  say 
I  have  not  forgotten  them." 

And  this  was  all  there  was  to  carry  back  to  Katy,  who 
on  the  afternoon  of  Morris's  return  from  New  York  was  at 
Linwood,  waiting  to  pour  his  tea  and  make  his  toast,  she 


The  Cameron  Pride,  55 

pretended,  though  the  real  reason  was  shining  all  over  her 
tell-tale  face,  which  grew  so  bright  and  eager  when  Morris 
said, 

"I  dined  at  Mr.  Cameron's,  Kitty." 

But  the  brightness  gradually  faded  as  Morris  described 
his  call  and  then  repeated  Wilford's  message. 

"  And  that  was  all,"  Katy  whispered  sorrowfully  as  she 
beat  the  damask  cloth  softly  with  her  fingers,  shutting  her 
lips  tightly  together  to  keep  back  her  disappointment 

When  Morris  glanced  at  her  again  there  was  a  tear  on 
her  long  eye-lashes,  and  it  dropped  upon  her  cheek,  fol 
lowed  by  another  and  another,  but  he  did  not  seem  to  see 
it,  and  talked  of  New  York  and  the  fine  sights  in  Broad 
way  until  Katy  was  able  to  take  part  in  the  conversation. 

"  Please  don't  tell  Helen  that  you  saw  Wilford,"  she 
said  to  Morris  as  he  walked  home  with  her  after  tea,  and 
that  was  the  only  allusion  she  made  to  it,  never  after  that 
mentioning  Wilford's  name  or  giving  any  token  of  the  love 
still  so  strong  within  her  heart,  and  waiting  only  for  some 
slight  token  to  waken  it  again  to  life  and  vigor. 

This  was  in  the  winter,  and  Katy  had  been  very  sick 
since  then,  while  Morris  had  come  to  believe  that  Wilford 
was  forgotten,  and  when,  as  she  grew  stronger,  he  saw 
how  her  eyes  sparkled  at  his  coming,  and  how  impatient 
she  seemed  if  he  was  obliged  to  hurry  off,  hope  whispered 
that  she  would  surely  be  his,  and  his  usually  grave  face 
wore  a  look  of  happiness  which  his  patients  noticed,  feeling 
themselves  better  after  one  of  his  cheery  visits.  Poor 
Morris !  he  was  little  prepared  for  the  terrible  blow  in  store 
for  him,  when  one  day  early  in  April  he  started,  as  usual, 
to  visit  Katy,  saying  to  himself,  "  If  I  find  her  alone,  per 
haps  I'll  ask  if  she  will  come  to  Linwood  this  summer ; " 
and  Morris  paused  a  moment  beneath  a  beechwood  tree  to 
still  the  throbbings  of  his  heart,  which  beat  so  fast  as  he 
thought  of  going  home  from  his  weary  work  and  finding 
Kate  there,  his  little  wife — whom  he  might  caress  and 
love  all  his  affectionate  nature  would  prompt  him  to.  He 
knew  that  in  some  points  she  was  weak,  but  then  she  was 
very  young,  and  there  was  about  her  so  much  of  purity, 
innocence,  and  perfect  beauty,  that  few  men,  however 
strong  their  intellect,  could  withstand  her,  and  Morris  felt 


56  The  Cameron  Pride. 

that  in  possessing  her  he  should  have  all  he  needed  to  make 
this  life  desirable.  She  would  improve  as  she  grew  older, 
and  it  would  be  a  most  delightful  task  to  train  her  into 
what  she  was  capable  of  becoming.  Alas  for  Dr.  Morris! 
He  was  very  near  the  farm-house  now,  and  there  were 
only  a  few  minutes  between  him  and  the  cloud  which  would 
darken  his  horizon  so  completely.  Katy  was  alone,  sitting 
up  in  her  pretty  dressing  gown  of  blue,  which  was  so 
becoming  to  her  pure  complexion.  Her  hair,  which  had 
been  all  cut  away  during  her  long  sickness,  was  growing 
out  again  somewhat  darker  than  before,  and  lay  in  rings 
upon  her  head,  making  her  look  more  childish  than  ever. 
But  to  this  Morris  did  not  object.  He  liked  to  have  her  a 
child,  and  he  thought  he  had  never  seen  her  so  beautiful 
as  she  was  this  morning,  when,  with  glowing  cheek  and 
dancing  eyes,  she  greeted  him  as  he  came  in. 

"  Oh,  Dr.  Morris ! "  she  began,  holding  up  a  letter  she 
had  in  her  hand,  "  I  am  so  glad  you've  come !  Wilford 
has  not  forgotten  me.  He  has  written,  and  he  is  coming 
again,  if  I  will  let  him;  I  am  so  glad!  Ain't  you?  Seeing 
you  knew  all  about  it,  and  never  told  Helen,  I'll  let  you 
read  the  letter." 

And  she  held  it  toward  the  young  man  leaning  against 
the  mantel  and  panting  for  the  breath  which  came  so 
heavily. 

Something  he  said  apologetically  abouf  being  snow  blind, 
for  there  was  that  day  quite  a  fall  of  soft  spring  snow; 
and  then,  with  a  mighty  effort  which  made  his  heart 
quiver  with  pain,  Morris  was  himself  once  more,  and  took 
the  letter  in  his  hand. 

"  Perhaps  I  ought  not  to  read  it,"  he  said,  but  Katy 
insisted,  and  thinking  to  himself,  "  It  will  cure  me  sooner 
perhaps,"  he  read  the  few  lines  Wilford  Cameron  had 
written  to  his  "  dear  little  Katy." 

That  was  the  way  he  addressed  her,  going  on  to  say 
that  circumstances  which  he  could  not  explain  to  her  had 
kept  him  silent  ever  since  he  left  her  the  previous  autumn ; 
but  through  all  he  never  for  a  moment  had  forgotten  her, 
thinking  of  her  the  more  for  the  silence  he  had  maintained. 
"  And  now  that  I  have  risen  above  the  circumstances,"  he 
added,  in  conclusion,  "I  write  to  ask  if  I  may  come  to 


The  Cameron  Pride.  57 

Silverton  again?  If  I  may,  just  drop  me  one  word, 
*  come,'  and  in  less  than  a  week  I  shall  be  there.  Yours 
very  truly,  W.  Cameron." 

Morris  read  the  letter  through,  feeling  that  every  word 
was  separating  him  further  and  further  from  Katy,  to 
frhom  he  said,  "  You  will  answer  this  ?  " 

"  Yes,  oh  yes ;  perhaps  to-day." 

"  And  you  will  tell  him  to  come  ?  " 

"Why,— what  else  should  I  tell  him?"  and  Katy's  blue 
eyes  looked  wonderingly  at  Morris,  who  'hardly  knew  what 
he  was  doing,  or  why  he  said  to  her  next,  "  Listen  to 
me,  Katy.  You  know  why  Wilford  Cameron  comes  here 
a  second  time,  and  what  he  will  probably  ask  you  ere  he 
goes  away:  but,  Katy,  you  are  not  strong  enough  yet  to 
see  him  under  so  exciting  circumstances,  and,  as  your 
physician,  I  desire  that  you  tell  him  to  wait  at  least  three 
Weeks  before  he  comes.  Will  you  do  so,  Katy  ?  " 

"  That  is  just  as  Helen  talked,"  Katy  answered  mourn 
fully.  "  She  said  I  was  not  able." 

"  And  will  you  heed  us  ? "  Morris  asked  again,  while 
Katy  after  a  moment  consented,  and  glad  of  this  respite 
from  what  he  knew  to  a  certainty  would  be,  Morris  dealt 
out  her  medicine,  and  for  an  instant  felt  her  rapid  pulse, 
but  did  not  retain  her  hand  within  his  own,  nor  lay  his 
other  upon  her  head,  as  he  had  sometimes  done. 

He  could  not  do  that  now,  so  he  hurried  away,  finding 
the  world  into  which  he  went  far  different  from  what  it 
had  seemed  an  hour  ago.  Then  all  was  bright  and  hope 
ful  ;  but  now,  alas !  a  darker  night  was  gathering  round 
him  than  any  he  had  ever  known,  and  the  patients  visited 
that  day  marveled  at  the  whiteness  of  his  face,  asking  if 
he  were  ill.  Yes,  he  answered  them  truly,  and  for  two 
days  he  was  not  seen  again,  but  remained  at  home  alone, 
where  none  but  his  God  was  witness  to  what  he  suffered ; 
but  when  the  third  day  came  he  went  again  among  his 
sick,  grave,  quiet  and  unchanged  in  outward  appearance, 
unless  it  was  that  his  voice,  always  so  kind,  had  now  a 
kinder  tone  and  his  manner  was  tenderer,  more  sympathiz 
ing.  Inwardly,  however,  there  was  a  change,  for  Morris 
Grant  had  lain  himself  upon  the  sacrificial  altar,  willing 
to  be  and  to  endure  whatever  God  should  appoint,  know- 


58  The  Cameron  Pride. 

ing  that  all  would  eventually  be  for  his  good.  To  the  farm 
house  he  went  every  day,  talking  most  with  Helen  now, 
but  never  forgetting  who  it  was  sitting  so  demurely  in  the 
arm-chair,  or  flitting  about  the  room,  for  Katy  was  gain 
ing  rapidly.  Love  perhaps  had  had  nothing  to  do  with 
her  dangerous  illness,  but  it  had  much  to  do  with  her  re 
covery,  and  those  not  in  the  secret  wondered  to  see  how 
she  improved,  her  cheeks  growing  round  and  full  and  her 
eyes  shining  with  returning  health  and  happiness. 

At  Helen's  instigation  Katy  had  deferred  Wilford's  visit 
four  weeks  instead  of  three,  but  in  that  time  there  had  come 
two  letters  from  him,  so  full  of  anxiety  and  sympathy  for 
"  his  poor  little  Katy  who  had  been  so  sick/'  that  even 
Helen  began  to  think  that  he  was  not  as  proud  and  heart 
less  as  she  supposed,  and  that  he  did  love  her  sister  after 
all. 

"  If  I  supposed  he  meant  to  deceive  her  I  should  wish 
I  was  a  man  to  cowhide  him,"  she  said  to  herself,  with 
flashing  eye,  as  she  heard  Katy  exulting  that  he  was  com 
ing  "  to-morrow." 

This  time  he  would  stop  at  Linwood,  for  Katy  had  asked 
Morris  if  he  might,  while  Morris  had  told  her  yes,  feeling 
his  heart-wound  throb  afresh,  as  he  thought  how  hard  it 
would  be  to  entertain  his  rival.  Of  himself  Morris  could 
do  nothing,  but  with  the  help  he  never  sought  in  vain. 
he  could  do  all  things,  and  so  he  gave  orders  that  the  best 
chamber  should  be  prepared  for  his  guest,  bidding  Mrs. 
Hull  see  that  no  pains  were  spared  for  his  entertainment, 
and  then  with  Katy  he  waited  for  the  day,  the  last  one 
in  April,  which  would  bring  Wilford  Cameron  a  second 
time  to  Silverton. 

CHAPTEE  VII. 
WILFORD'S  SECOND  VISIT. 

WILFORD  CAMERON  had  tried  to  forget  Katy  Lennox, 
both  for  his  sake  and  her  own,  for  he  foresaw  that  she 
could  not  be  happy  with  his  family,  and  he  came  to  think 
it  might  be  a  wrong  to  her  to  transplant  her  into  a  soil 
so  wholly  unlike  that  in  which  her  habits  and  affections 
had  taken  root. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  59 

His  father  once  had  abruptly  asked  him  if  there  was  any 
truth  in  the  report  that  he  was  about  to  marry  and  make 
a  fool  of  himself,  and  when  Wilford  had  answered  "  No," 
he  had  replied  with  a  significant 

"  Umph !  Old  enough,  I  should  think,  if  you  ever  inter:  <! 
to  marry.  Wilford/'  and  the  old  man  faced  square  abont, 
"  I  know  nothing  of  the  girl,  except  what  I  gathered  from 
your  mother  and  sisters.  You  have  not  asked  my  advice.  I 
don't  suppose  you  want  it,  but  if  you  do,  here  it  is.  If 
you  love  the  girl  and  she  is  respectable,  marry  her  if  she 
is  poor  as  poverty  and  the  daughter  of  a  tinker;  but 
if  you  don't  love  her,  and  she's  as  rich  as  a  nabob,  for 
thunder's  sake  keep  away  from  her." 

This  was  the  elder  Cameron's  counsel,  and  Katy's  cause 
rose  fifty  per  cent,  in  consequence.  Still  Wilford  was 
sadly  disquieted,  so  much  so  that  his  partner,  Mark  Ray, 
could  not  fail  to  observe  that  something  was  troubling 
him,  and  at  last  frankly  asked  what  it  was.  Wilford  knew 
he  could  trust  Mark,  and  he  confessed  the  whole,  telling 
him  far  more  of  Silverton  than  he  had  told  his  mother, 
and  then  asking  what  his  friend  would  do  were  the  case 
his  own. 

Fond  of  fun  and  frolic,  Mark  laughed  immoderately  at 
Wilford's  description  of  Aunt  Betsy  bringing  her  "  herrin'- 
bone  "  patch  work  into  the  parlor,  and  telling  him  it  was  a 
part  of  Katy's  e<  settin'  out,"  but  when  it  came  to  her  hint 
for  an  invitation  to  visit  New  York,  the  amu?orl  young  man 
roared  with  laughter,  wishing  so  much  that  he  might  live 
to  see  the  day  when  poor  Aunt  Betsy  Barlow  stood  ringing 
for  admittance  at  No.  —  Fifth  Avenue. 

"  Wouldn't  it  be  rich,  though,  the  meeting  between  your 
Aunt  Betsy  and  Juno  ?  "  and  the  tears  fairly  poured  down 
the  young  man's  face. 

But  Wilford  was  too  serious  for  trifling,  and  after  his 
merriment  had  subsided,  Mark  talked  with  him  candidly 
of  Katy  Lennox,  whose  cause  he  warmly  espoused,  telling 
WTilford  that  he  was  far  too  sensitive  with  regard  to  family 
and  position. 

"You  are  a  good  fellow  on  the  whole,  but  too  out 
rageously  proud,"  he  said.  "  Of  course  this  Aunt  Betsy 
in  her  pongee,  whatever  that  may  be,  and  the  uncle  in  his 


60  The  Cameron  Pride. 

shirt  sleeves,  and  this  mother  whom  you  describe  as  weak 
and  ambitious,  are  objections  which  you  would  rather 
should  not  exist ;  but  if  you  love  the  girl,  take  her,  family 
and  all.  Not  that  you  are  to  transport  the  whole  colony  of 
Barlows  to  New  York/'  he  added,  as  he  saw  Wilford's  look 
of  horror,  "  but  make  up  your  mind  to  endure  what  can 
not  be  helped,  resting  yourself  upon  the  fact  that  your 
position  is  such  as  cannot  well  be  affected  by  any  marriage 
you  might  make,  provided  the  wife  were  right." 

This  was  Mark  Ray's  advice,  and  it  had  great  weight 
with  Wilford,  who  knew  that  Mark  came,  if  possible,  from 
a  better  line  of  ancestry  than  himself.  And  still  Wilford 
hesitated,  waiting  until  the  winter  was  over,  before  he  came 
to  the  decision  which,  when  it  was  reached,  was  firm  as  a 
granite  rock.  He  had  made  up  his  mind  at  last  to  marry 
Katy  Lennox  if  she  would  accept  him,  and  he  told  his 
mother  so  in  presence  of  his  sisters,  when  one  evening  they 
were  all  kept  at  home  by  the  rain.  There  was  a  sudden 
uplifting  of  Bell's  eyelashes,  a  contemptuous  shrug  of  her 
shoulders,  and  then  she  went  on  with  the  book  she  was 
reading,  wondering  if  Katy  was  at  all  inclined  to  literature, 
and  thinking  if  she  were  that  it  might  be  easier  to  tolerate 
her.  Juno,  who  was  expected  to  say  the  sharpest  things, 
turned  upon  him  with  the  exclamation, 

"If  you  can  stand  those  two  feather  beds,  you  can  do 
more  than  I  bupposed,"  and  as  one  means  of  showing  her 
disapproval,  she  quitted  the  room,  while  Bell,  who  had 
taken  to  writing  articles  on  the  follies  of  the  age,  soon 
followed  her  sister  to  elaborate  an  idea  suggested  to  her 
mind  by  her  brother's  contemplated  marriage. 

Thus  left  alone  with  her  son,  Mrs.  Cameron  tried  all 
her  powers  of  persuasion  upon  him.  But  nothing  she  said 
influenced  him  in  the  least,  seeing  which  she  suddenly  con 
fronted  him  with  the  question,  "  Shall  you  tell  her  all  ? 
A  husband  should  have  no  secrets  of  that  kind  from  his 
wife." 

Wilford's  face  was  white  as  ashes,  and  his  voice  trembled 
as  he  replied,  "  Yes,  mother,  I  shall  tell  her  all ;  but,  oh ! 
you  do  not  know  how  hard  it  has  been  for  me  to  bring 
my  mind  to  that,  or  how  sorry  I  am  that  we  ever  kept  that 
secret — when  Genevra  died " 


The  Cameron  Pride.  61 

"  Hush — h !  "  came  warningly  from  the  mother  as  Juno 
reappeared,  the  warning  indicating  that  Genevra  was  a 
name  never  mentioned,  except  by  mother  and  son. 

As  Juno  remained,  the  conversation  was  not  resumed, 
and  the  next  morning  Wilford  wrote  to  Katy  Lennox  the 
letter  which  carried  to  her  so  much  of  joy,  and  to  Dr. 
Grant  so  much  of  grief.  To  wait  four  weeks,  as  Katy  said 
he  must,  was  a  terrible  trial  to  Wilford,  who  counted  every 
moment  which  kept  him  from  her  side.  It  was  all  owing 
to  Dr.  Grant  and  that  perpendicular  Helen,  he  knew,  for 
Katy  in  her  letter  had  admitted  that  the  waiting  was  wholly 
their  suggestion;  and  Wilford's  thoughts  concerning  them 
were  anything  but  complimentary,  until  a  new  idea  was 
suggested,  which  drove  every  other  consideration  from  his 
mind. 

Wilford  was  naturally  jealous,  but  that  fault  had  once 
led  him  into  so  deep  a  trouble  that  he  had  struggled  to 
overcome  it,  and  now,  at  its  first  approach,  after  he  thought 
it  dead,  he  tried  to  shake  it  off — tried  not  to  believe  that 
Morris  cared  especially  for  Katy.  But  the  mere  possibility 
was  unendurable,  and  in  a  most  feverish  state  of  excite 
ment  he  started  again  for  Silverton. 

As  before,  Morris  was  at  the  station,  his  cordial  greeting 
and  friendly  manner  disarming  him  from  all  anxiety  in 
that  quarter,  and  making  him  resolve  anew  to  trample  the 
demon  jealousy  under  his  feet,  where  it  could  never, rise 
agair..  Katy's  life  should  not  be  darkened  by  the  green 
monster,  he  thought,  and  her  future  would  have  been  bright 
indeed  had  it  proved  all  that  he  pictured  it  as  he 
drove  along  with  Morris  in  the  direction  of  the  farm 
house. 

Katy  was  waiting  for  him,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  to 
kiss  her  more  than  once  as  he  kept  her  for  a  moment  in 
his  arms,  and  then  held  her  off  to  see  if  her  illness  had 
left  any  traces  upon  her.  It  had  not,  except  it  were  in 
the  increased  delicacy  of  her  complexion  and  the  short  hair 
now  growing  out  in  silky  rings.  She  was  very  pretty  in  her 
short  hair,  but  Wilford  felt  a  little  impatient  as  he  saw 
how  childish  it  made  her  look,  and  thought  how  long 
it  would  take  for  it  to  attain  its  former  length.  He 
was  already  appropriating  her  to  himself,  and  devising 


62  The  Cameron  Pride. 

ways  of  improving  her.  In  New  York,  with  Morris  Grant 
standing  before  his  jealous  gaze,  he  could  see  no  fault  in 
Katy,  and  even  now,  with  her  beside  him,  and  the  ogre 
jealousy  gone,  he  saw  no  fault  in  her;  it  was  only  her 
hair,  and  that  would  be  remedied  in  time;  otherwise  she 
was  perfect,  and  in  his  delight  at  meeting  her  again  he 
forgot  to  criticise  the  farm-house  and  its  occupants,  as  h-e 
had  done  before. 

They  were  very  civil  to  him — the  mother  overwhelmingly 
so,  and  Wilford  could  not  help  detecting  her  anxiety  that 
all  should  be  settled  this  time.  Helen,  on  the  contrary, 
was  unusually  cool,  confirming  him  in  his  opinion  that  she 
was  strong-minded  and  self-willed,  and  making  him  resolve 
to  remove  Katy  as  soon  as  possible  from  her  influence, 
When  talking  with  his  mother  he  had  said  that  if  Katy 
told  him  "yes,"  he  should  probably  place  her  at  some 
fashionable  school  for  a  year  or  two;  but  on  the  way  to  Sil- 
verton  he  had  changed  his  mind.  He  could  not  wait  a 
year,  and  if  he  married  Katy  at  all,  it  should  be  im 
mediately.  He  would  then  take  her  to  Europe,  where  she 
could  have  the  best  of  teachers,  besides  the  advantage  oi 
traveling;  and  it  was  a  very  satisfactory  picture  he  drew 
of  the  woman  whom  he  should  introduce  into  New  York 
society  as  his  wife,  Mrs.  Wilford  Cameron.  It  is  true 
that  Katy  had  not  yet  said  the  all-important  word,  but 
she  was  going  to  say  it,  and  when  late  that  afternoon  they 
came  from  the  walk  he  had  asked  her  to  take,  she  had 
listened  to  his  tale  of  love  and  was  his  promised  wife.  Katy 
was  no  coquette ;  whatever  she  felt  she  expressed,  and  she 
had  frankly  confessed  to  Wilford  her  love  for  him,  telling 
him  how  the  fear  that  he  had  forgotten  her  had  haunted 
her  all  the  long  winter;  and  then  with  her  clear,  truth 
ful  blue  eyes  looking  into  his,  asking  him  why  he  had  not 
sent  her  some  message  if  as  he  said,  he  loved  her  all  the 
time. 

For  a  moment  Wilford's  lip  was  compressed  and  a  flush' 
overspread  his  face,  as,  drawing  her  closer  to  him,  he  re 
plied,  "  My  little  Katy  will  remember  that  in  my  first 
note  I  spoke  of  certain  circumstances  which  had  prevented 
my  writing  earlier.  I  do  not  know  that  I  asked  her  not 
to  seek  to  know  those  circumstances;  but  I  ask  it  now. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  63 

Will  Katy  trust  me  so  far  as  to  believe  that  all  is  right 
between  us,  and  never  allude  to  these  circumstances  ?  " 

He  was  kissing  her  fondly,  and  his  voice  was  so  winning 
that  Katy  promised,  and  then  came  the  hardest,  the  trying 
to  tell  her  all,  as  he  had  said  to  his  mother  he  would. 
Twice  he  essayed  to  speak,  and  as  often  something  sealed 
his  lips,  until  at  last  he  began,  "  You  must  not  think  me 
perfect,  Katy,  for  I  have  faults,  and  perhaps  if  you  knew 
my  past  life  you  would  wish  to  revoke  your  recent  decision 
and  render  a  different  verdict  to  my  suit.  Suppose  I  un 
fold  the  blackest  leaf  for  your  inspection  ?  " 

"  N~o,  no,  oh  no,"  and  Katy  playfully  stopped  his  mouth 
with  her  hand.  "  Of  course  you  have  some  faults,  but  I 
would  rather  find  them  out  by  myself.  I  could  not  hear 
anything  against  you  now.  I  am  satisfied  to  take  you  as 
you  are." 

Wilford  felt  his  heart  throb  wildly  with  the  feeling  that 
he  was  deceiving  the  young  girl;  but  if  she  would  not 
suffer  him  to  tell  her,  he  was  not  to  be  censured  if  she  re 
mained  in  ignorance.  And  so  the  golden  moment  fled, 
and  when  he  spoke  again  he  said,  "  If  Katy  will  not  now 
read  the  leaf  I  offered  to  show  her,  she  must  not  shrink 
in  horror,  if  ever  it  does  meet  her  eye." 

"  I  won't,  I  promise,"  Kate  answered,  a  vague  feeling 
of  fear  creeping  over  her  as  to  what  the  reading  of  that 
mysterious  page  involved.  But  this  was  soon  forgotten,  as 
Wilford,  remembering  his  suspicions  of  Dr.  Grant,  thought 
to  probe  her  a  little  by  asking  if  she  had  ever  loved  any 
one  before  himself. 

"No,  never,"  she  answered.  "I  never  dreamed  of  such 
a  thing  until  I  saw  you,  Mr.  Cameron ; "  and  Wilford  be 
lieved  the  trusting  girl,  whose  loving  nature  shone  in  every 
lineament  of  her  face,  upturned  to  receive  the  kisses  he 
pressed  upon  it,  resolving  within  himself  to  be  to  her  what 
he  ought  to  be. 

"  By  the  way,"  he  continued,  "  don't  call  me  Mr.  Cam 
eron  again,  as  you  did  just  now.  I  would  rather  be  your 
Wilford.  It  sounds  more  familiar ; "  and  then  he  told  her 
of  his  projected  tour  to  Europe,  and  Katy  felt  her  pulses 
quicken  as  she  thought  of  London,  Paris  and  Eome,  as 
places  which  her  plain  country  eyes  might  yet  look  upon. 


64  The  Cameron  Pride. 

But  when  it  came  to  their  marriage,  which  Wilford  said 
must  be  within  a  few  weeks — she  demurred,  for  this  ar 
rangement  was  not  in  accordance  with  her  desires;  and 
she  opposed  her  lover  with  all  her  strength,  telling  him 
she  was  so  young,  not  eighteen  till  July,  and  she  knew  so 
little  of  housekeeping.  He  must  let  her  stay  at  home  until 
she  learned  at  least  the  art  of  making  bread ! 

Poor,  ignorant  Katy !  Wilford  could  not  forbear  a  smile 
as  he  thought  how  different  were  her  views  from  his,  and 
tried  to  explain  that  the  art  of  bread-making,  though  very 
desirable  in  most  wives,  was  not  an  essential  accomplish 
ment  for  his.  Servants  would  do  that ;  besides  he  did  not 
intend  to  have  a  house  of  his  own  at  once ;  he  should  take 
her  first  to  live  with  his  mother,  where  she  could  learn 
what  was  necessary  much  better  than  in  Silverton. 

Wilford  Cameron  expected  to  be  obeyed  in  every  im 
portant  matter  by  the  happy  person  who  should  be  his  wife, 
and  as  he  possessed  the  faculty  of  enforcing  perfect  obe 
dience  without  seeming  to  be  severe,  so  he  silenced  Katy's 
arguments,  and  when  they  left  the  shadow  of  the  butternut 
tree  she  knew  that  in  all  human  probability  six  weeks' 
time  would  find  her  on  the  broad  ocean  alone  with  Wilford 
Cameron.  So  perfect  was  Katy's  faith  and  love  that  she 
had  no  fear  of  Wilford  now,  but  as  his  affianced  wife  walked 
confidently  by  his  side,  feeling  fully  his  equal,  nor  once 
dreaming  how  great  the  disparity  his  city  friends  would 
discover  between  the  fastidious  man  of  fashion  and  the  un 
sophisticated  country  girl.  And  Wilford  did  not  seek  to 
enlighten  her,  but  suffered  her  to  talk  of  the  delight  it 
would  be  to  live  in  New  York,  and  how  pleasant  for  mother 
and  Helen  to  visit  her,  especially  the  latter,  who  would 
thus  have  a  chance  to  see  something  of  the  world. 

"  When  I  get  a  house  of  my  own  I  mean  she  shall  live 
with  me  all  the  while,"  she  said,  stooping  to  gather  a  tuft 
of  wild  blue-bells  growing  in  a  marshy  spot. 

Wilford  winced  a  little,  but  he  would  not  so  soon  teai 
down  Katy's  castles,  and  so  he  merely  remarked,  as  she 
asked  if  it  would  not  be  nice  to  have  Helen  with  them, 

"  Yes,  very  nice;  but  do  not  speak  of  it  to  her  yet,  as  it 
will  probably  be  some  time  before  she  will  come  to  us." 

And  so  Helen  never  suspected  the  honor  in  store  for  her 


The  Cameron  Pride,  65 

as  she  stood  in  the  doorway  anxiously  waiting  for  her  sister, 
who  she  feared  would  take  cold  from  being  out  so  long. 
Something  though  in  Katy's  face  made  her  guess  that  to 
her  was  lost  forever  the  bright  little  sister  whom  she  loved 
so  dearly,  and  fleeing  up  the  narrow  stairway  to  her  room, 
she  wept  bitterly  as  she  thought  of  the  coming  time  when 
she  would  occupy  that  room  alone,  and  know  that  never 
again  would  a  little  golden  head  lie  upon  her  neck  just 
as  it  had  lain,  for  there  would  be  a  new  love,  a  new  in 
terest  between  them,  a  love  for  the  man  whose  voice  she 
could  hear  now  talking  to  her  mother  in  the  peculiar  tone 
he  always  assumed  when  speaking  to  any  one  of  them 
excepting  Morris  or  Katy. 

"  I  wish  it  were  not  wrong  to  hate  him/7  she  exclaimed 
passionately ;  "  it  would  be  such  a  relief ;  but  if  he  is  only 
kind  to  Katy,  I  do  not  care  how  much  he  despises  us," 
and  bathing  her  face,  Helen  sat  down  by  her  window,  won 
dering,  if  Mr.  Cameron  took  her  sister,  when  it  would 
probably  be.  "  Not  this  year  or  more,"  she  said,  "  for  Katy 
is  so  young ; "  but  on  this  point  she  was  soon  set  right 
by  Katy  herself,  who,  leaving  her  lover  alone  with  her 
mother,  stole  up  to  tell  her  sister  the  good  news. 

"  Yes,  I  know ;  I  guessed  as  much  when  you  came  back 
from  the  meadows,"  and  Helen's  voice  was  very  unsteady  in 
its  tone  as  she  smoothed  the  soft  rings  clustering  around 
her  sister's  brow. 

"  Crying,  Helen !  oh,  don't.  I  shall  love  you  just  the 
same,  and  you  are  coming  to  live  with  us,"  Katy  said,  for 
getting  Wilford's  instructions  in  her  desire  to  comfort 
Helen,  who  broke  down  again,  while  Katy's  tears  were 
mingled  with  her  own. 

It  was  the  first  time  Katy  had  thought  what  it  would 
be  to  leave  forever  the  good,  patient  sister,  who  had  been 
so  kind,  treating  her  like  a  petted  kitten  and  standing  be 
tween  her  and  every  hardship. 

"  Don't  cry,  Nellie,"  she  said,  "  New  York  is  not  far 
away,  and  I  shall  come  so  often,  that  is,  after  we  return 
from  Europe.  Did  I  tell  you  we  are  going  there  first, 
and  Wilford  will  not  wait,  but  says  we  must  be  married 
the  10th  of  June  ? — that's  his  birthday — thirty — and  he  is 
telling  mother  now." 


66  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"  So  soon — oh  Katy !  and  you  so  young !  "  was  all  Helen 
could  say,  as  with  quivering  lip  she  kissed  her  sister's  hand 
raised  to  wipe  her  tears  away. 

"  Yes,  it  is  soon,  and  I  am  young :  but  Wilf ord  is  in 
such  a  hurry ;  he  don't  care,"  Katy  replied,  trying  to  com 
fort  Helen,  and  begging  of  her  not  to  cry  so  hard. 

"No,  Wilford  did  not  care  how  much  he  wrung  the 
hearts  of  Katy's  family  by  taking  her  from  them  at  once, 
and  by  dictating  to  a  certain  extent  the  way  in  which  he 
would  take  her.  There  must  be  no  invited  guests,  he  said ; 
no  lookers-on,  except  such  as  chose  to  go  to  the  church 
where  the  ceremony  would  be  performed,  and  from  which 
place  he  should  go  directly  to  the  Boston  train.  It  was 
his  wish,  too,  that  the  matter  should  be  kept  as  quiet  as 
possible,  and  not  be  generally  discussed  in  the  neighbor 
hood,  as  he  disliked  being  a  subject  for  gossip.  And  Mrs. 
Lennox,  to  whom  this  was  said,  promised  compliance  with 
everything,  or  if  she  ventured  to  object  she  found  herself 
borne  down  by  a  stronger  will  than  her  own,  and  weakly 
yielded,  her  manner  fully  testifying  to  her  delight  at  the 
honor  conferred  upon  her  by  this  high  marriage  of  her 
child.  Wilford  knew  just  how  pleased  she  was,  and  her 
obsequious  manner  annoyed  him  far  more  than  Helen's 
blunt  straightforwardness,  when,  after  supper  was  over, 
she  told  him  how  averse  she  was  to  his  taking  Katy  so  soon, 
adding  still  further  that  if  it  must  *be,  she  saw  no  harm 
in  inviting  a  few  of  their  neighbors.  It  was  custo 
mary,  it  would  be  expected,  she  said,  while  Mrs.  Lennox, 
emboldened  by  Helen's  boldness,  chimed  in,  "  at  least  your 
folks  will  come ;  I  shall  be  glad  to  meet  your  mother." 

Wilford  was  very  polite  to  them  both;  very  good-hu 
mored,  but  he  kept  to  his  first  position,  and  poor  Mrs. 
Lennox  saw  fade  into  airy  nothingness  all  her  visions  of 
roasted  fowls  and  frosted  cake  trimmed  with  myrtle  and 
flowers,  with  hosts  of  the  Silverton  people  there  to  admire 
and  partake  of  the  marriage  feast.  It  was  too  bad  and  so 
Aunt  Betsy  said,  when,  after  Wilford  had  gone  to  Lin- 
wood,  the  family  sat  together  around  the  kitchen  stove, 
talking  the  matter  over. 

"Yes,  it  was  too  bad,  when  there  was  that  white  hen- 
turkey  she  could  fat  up  so  easy  before  June,  and  she  knew 


The  Cameron  Pride.  67 

how  to  make  'lection  cake  that  would  melt  in  your  mouth, 
and  was  enough  sight  better  than  the  black  stuff  they 
called  weddin'  cake.  She  meant  to  try  what  she  could 
do  wit-h  Mr.  Carmon." 

And  next  morning  when  he  came  again  she  did  try, 
holding  out  as  inducements  why  he  should  be  married  the 
night  before  starting  for  Boston,  the  "white  hen-turkey, 
the  'lection  cake,  and  the  gay  old  times  the  young  folks 
would  have  playing  snap-and-catchem ;  or  if  they  had  a 
mind,  they  could  dance  a  bit  in  the  kitchen.  She  didn't 
believe  in  it,  to  be  sure — none  of  the  Orthodox  did ;  but  as 
Wilford  was  a  'Piscopal,  and  that  was  a  'Piscopal  quirk, 
it  wouldn't  harm  for  once." 

Wilford  tried  not  to  show  his  disgust,  and  only  Helen 
suspected  how  hard  it  was  for  him  to  keep  down  his 
utter  contempt.  She  saw  it  in  his  eyes,  which  resembled 
two  smouldering  volcanoes  as  they  rested  upon  Aunt  Betsy 
during  her  harangue. 

"  Thank  you,  madam,  for  your  good  intentions,  but  I 
think  we  will  dispense  with  the  turkey  and  the  cake,"  was 
all  he  said,  though  he  did  smile  at  the  old  lady's  definition 
of  dancing,  which  for  once  she  might  allow. 

Even  Morris,  when  appealed  to,  decided  with  Wilford 
against  Mrs.  Lennox  and  Aunt  Betsy,  knowing  how  un 
equal  he  was  to  the  task  which  would  devolve  on  him  in 
case  of  a  bridal  party  at  the  farm-house.  In  comparative 
silence  he  heard  from  Wilford  of  his  engagement  offering 
no  objection  when  told  how  soon  the  marriage  would  take 
place,  but  congratulating  him  so  quietly,  that  if  Wilford 
had  retained  a  feeling  of  jealousy,  it  would  have 
disappeared;  Morris  was  so  seemingly  indifferent  to 
everything  except  Katy's  happiness.  But  Wilford  did  not 
observe  closely,  and  failed  to  detect  the  hopeless  look 
in  Morris's  eyes,  or  the  whiteness  which  settled  about  his 
mouth  as  he  fulfilled  the  duties  of  host  and  sought  to 
entertain  his  guest.  Those  were  dark  hours  for  Morris 
Grant,  and  he  was  glad  when  at  the  end  of  the  second  day 
Wilford's  visit  expired,  and  he  saw  him  driven  from 
Linwood  round  to  the  farm-house,  where  he  would  say 
his  parting  words  to  Katy  and  then  go  back  to  New  York. 


68  The  Cameron  Pride. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

GETTING  READY  TO  BE  MARRIED. 

Miss  HELEN  LENNOX,  Silverton,  Mass." 

This  was  the  superscription  of  a  letter,  postmarked  New 
York,  and  brought  to  Helen  within  a  week  after  Wilford's 
departure.  It  was  his  handwriting,  too;  and  wondering 
what  he  could  have  written  to  her,  Helen  broke  the  seal, 
starting  as  there  dropped  into  her  lap  a  check  for  five 
hundred  dollars. 

"  What  does  it  mean  ?  "  she  said,  her  cheek  flushing  with 
anger  and  insulted  pride  as  she  read  the  following  brief 
lines : 

"NEW  YORK,  May  8th. 

"Miss  HELEN  LENNOX:  Please  pardon  the  liberty  I 
have  taken  in  enclosing  the  sum  of  $500  to  be  used  by  you 
in  procuring  whatever  Katy  may  need  for  present  neces 
sities.  Presuming  that  the  country  seamstresses  have  not 
the  best  facilities  for  obtaining  the  latest  fashions,  my 
mother  proposes  sending  out  her  own  private  dressmaker, 
Mrs.  Ryan.  You  may  look  for  her  the  last  of  the  week. 

"Yours  truly,  WILFORD  CAMERON/' 

It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  Helen's  indignation 
as  she  read  this  letter,  which  roused  her  to  a  pitch  of 
anger  such  as  Wilford  Cameron  had  never  imagined  when 
he  wrote  the  offensive  lines.  He  had  really  no  intention  of 
insulting  her.  On  the  contrary,  the  gift  of  money  was 
kindly  meant,  for  he  knew  that  Uncle  Ephraim  was  poor, 
while  the  part  referring  to  the  dressmaker  was  wholly 
his  mother's  proposition,  to  which  he  had  acceded,  knowing 
how  much  confidence  Juno  had  in  her  taste,  and  that 
whatever  she  might  see  at  the  farm-house  would  remain 
a  secret  with  her,  or  at  most  be  confined  to  the  ears  of  his 
mother  and  sisters.  He  wished  Katy  to  look  well,  and 
foolishly  fancying  that  no  country  artiste  could  make  her 
look  so,  he  consented  to  Mrs.  Ryan's  going,  never  dreaming 


The  Cameron  Pride.  69 

of  the  effect'  it  would  have  upon  Helen,  whose  first 
impulse  was  to  throw  the  check  into  the  fire.  Her  second, 
however,  was  soberer.  She  would  not  destroy  it,  nor  tell 
any  one  she  had  it,  but  Morris — he  should  know  the  whole. 
Accordingly,  she  repaired  to  Linwood,  finding  Morris  at 
home,  and  startling  him  with  the  vehemence  of  her  anger 
as  she  explained  the  nature  of  her  errand. 

"  If  I  disliked  Wilf ord  Cameron  before,  I  hate  him  now. 
Yes,  hate  him/'  she  said,  stamping  her  little  foot  in 
fury. 

"  Why,  Helen ! ??  Morris  exclaimed,  laying  his  hand  re 
provingly  on  her  shoulder ;  "  is  this  the  right  spirit  for 
one  who  professes  better  things?  Stop  a  moment  and 
think." 

"I  know  it  is  wrong,"  Helen  answered,  "but  somehow 
since  he  came  after  Katy,  I  have  grown  so  hard,  so  wicked 
toward  Mr.  Cameron.  He  seems  so  proud,  so  unap 
proachable.  Say,  Cousin  Morris,  do  you  think  him  a  good 
man,  that  is,  good  enough  for  Katy  ?  " 

"  Most  people  would  call  him  too  good  for  her,"  Mor 
ris  replied.  And,,  in  a  worldly  point  of  view,  she  is  do 
ing  well.  Cameron,  I  believe,  is  better  than  three- 
fourths  of  the  men  who  marry  our  girls.  He  is  very 
proud :  but  that  results  from  his  education  and  training. 
Looking  only  from  a  New  York  stand-point  he  misjudges 
country  people,  but  he  will  appreciate  you  by  and  by. 
Do  not  begin  by  hating  him  so  cordially.'7 

"Yes,  but  this  money.  Now,  Morris,  we  do  not  want 
him  to  get  Katy's  outfit.  I  would  rather  go  without 
clothes  my  whole  life.  Shall  I  send  it  back  ?  " 

"  I  think  that  the  best  disposition  to  make  of  it,"  Mor 
ris  replied.  "  As  your  brother,  I  can  and  will  supply 
Katy's  needs." 

"  I  knew  you  would,  Morris.  And  I'll  send  it  to-day, 
in  time  to  keep  that  dreadful  Mrs.  Ryan  from  coming; 
for  I  won't  have  any  of  Wilford  Cameron's  dressmakers 
in  the  house." 

Morris  could  not  help  smiling  at  Helen's  energetic 
manner,  as  she  hurried  to  his  library  and  taking  his  pen 
wrote  to  Wilford  Cameron  as  follows: 


70  The  Cameron  Pride. 

SILVERTON,  May  9th,  18 — . 

MR.  WILFORD  CAMERON: — I  give  you  credit  for  the 
kindest  of  motives  in  sending  the  check  which  I  now  re 
turn  to  you,  with  my  compliments.  We  are  not  as  poor 
as  you  suppose,  and  would  almost  deem  it  sacrilege  to  let 
another  than  ourselves  provide  for  Katy  so  long  as  she  is 
ours.  And  furthermore,  Mrs.  Ryan's  services  will  not  be 
needed,  so  it  is  not  worth  her  while  to  make  a  journey  here 
for  nothing.  Yours, 

HELEN  LENNOX. 

Helen  felt  better  after  this  letter  had  gone,  wondering 
often  how  it  would  be  received,  and  if  Wilford  would  be 
angry.  She  hoped  he  would,  and  his  mother  too.  "  The 
idea  of  sending  that  Ryan  woman  to  us,  as  if  we  did  not 
know  anything !  "  and  Helen's  lip  curled  scornfully  as  she 
thus  denounced  the  Ryan  woman,  whose  trunk  was  packed 
with  paper  patterns  and  devices  of  various  kinds  when 
the  letter  arrived,  saying  she  was  not  needed.  Being  a 
woman  of  few  words,  she  quietly  unpacked  her  patterns 
and  went  back  to  the  work  she  was  engaged  upon  when 
Mrs.  Cameron  proposed  her  going  into  the  country.  Juno, 
on  the  contrary,  flew  into  a  violent  passion  to  think  their 
first  friendly  advances  should  ba  thus  received.  Boll 
laughed  immoderately,  saying  she  liked  Helen  Lennox's 
spirit,  and  wished  her  brother  had  chosen  her  instead  of 
the  other,  who,  she  presumed,  was  a  milk  and  water  thing, 
even  if  Mrs.  Woodhull  did  extol  her  so  highly.  Mrs. 
Cameron  felt  the  rebuke  keenly,  wincing  under  it,  and 
saying  "that  Helen  Lennox  must  be  a  very  rude,  ill- 
bred  girl,"  and  hoping  her  son  would  draw  the  line  of 
division  between  his  wife  and  her  family  so  tightly  that  the 
sister  could  never  pass  over  it.  She  had  received  the 
news  of  her  son's  engagement  without  opposition,  for  she 
knew  the  time  for  that  was  past.  Wilford  would  marry 
Katy  Lennox,  and  she  must  make  the  best  of  it,  so  she 
offered  no  remonstrance,  but,  when  they  were  alone,  she 
said  to  him,  "  Did  you  tell  her  ?  Does  she  know  it 
all?" 

"  No,  mother,"  and  the  old  look  of  pain  came  back  into 


The  Cameron  Pride.  71 

WilforcPs  face.  "  I  meant  to  do  so,  and  I  actually  began, 
but  she  stopped  me  short,  saying  she  did  not  wish  to 
hear  my  faults,  she  would  rather  find  them  out  herself. 
Away  from  her  it  is  very  easy  to  think  what  I  will  do,  but 
when  the  trial  comes  I  find  it  hard,  we  have  kept  it  so 
long;  but  I  shall  tell  her  yet;  not  till  after  we  are  mar 
ried  though,  and  I  have  made  her  love  me  even  more 
than  she  does  now.  She  will  not  mind  it  then.  I  shall 
take  her  where  I  first  met  Genevra,  and  there  I  will  tell 
her.  Is  that  right  ?  " 

"  Yes,  if  you  think  so,"  Mrs.  Cameron  replied. 

Whatever  it  was  which  Wilford  had  to  tell  Katy  Len 
nox,  it  was  very  evident  that  he  and  his  mother  looked 
at  it  differently,  he  regarding  it  as  a  duty  he  owed  to 
Katy  not  to  conceal  from  her  what  might  possibly  influ 
ence  her  decision,  while  his  mother  only  wished  the  secret 
told  in  hopes  that  it  would  prevent  the  marriage ;  but  now 
that  Wilford  had  deferred  it  till  after  the  marriage,  she 
saw  no  reason  why  it  need  be  told  at  all.  At  least  Wilford 
could  do  as  he  thought  best,  and  she  changed  the  conversa 
tion  from  Genevra  to  Helen's  letter,  which  had  so  upset 
her  plans.  That  her  future  daughter-in-law  was  handsome 
she  did  not  doubt,  but  she,  of  course,  had  no  manner,  no 
style,  and  as  a  means  of  improving  her  in  the  latter 
respect,  and  making  her  presentable  at  the  altar  and  in 
Boston,  she  had  proposed  sending  out  Ryan;  but  that 
project  had  failed,  and  Helen  Lennox  did  not  stand  very 
high  in  the  Cameron  family,  though  Wilford  in  his  heart 
felt  an  increased  respect  for  her  independent  spirit,  not 
withstanding  that  she  had  thwarted  his  designs. 

"I  have  another  idea,"  Mrs.  Cameron  said  to  her 
daughters  that  afternoon,  when  talking  with  them  upon 
the  subject.  "Wilford  tells  me  Katy  and  Bell  are  about 
the  same  size  and  figure,  and  Ryan  shall  make  up  a 
traveling  suit  proper  for  the  occasion.  Of  course  there 
will  be  no  one  at  the  wedding  for  whom  we  care,  but  in 
Boston,  at  the  Revere,  it  will  be  different.  Cousin  Har 
vey  boards  there,  and  she  is  very  stylish.  I  saw  some 
elegant  grey  poplins,  of  the  finest  lustre,  at  Stewart's 
yesterday.  Suppose  we  drive  down  this  afternoon." 

This  was  said  to  Juno  as  the  more  fashionable  one  of 


72  The  Cameron  Pride. 

the  sisters,  but  Bell  answered  quickly,  "  Poplin,  mother, 
on  Katy  ?  It  will  not  become  her  style,  I  am  sure,  though 
suitable  for  many.  If  I  am  to  be  fitted,  I  shall  say  a  word 
about  the  fabric.  Get  a  little  checked  silk,  as  expensive 
as  you  like.  It  will  suit  her  better  than  a  heavy  poplin/' 

Perhaps  Bell  was  right,  Mrs.  Cameron  said;  they  would 
look  at  both,  and  as  the  result  of  this  looking,  two  dresses, 
one  of  the  finest  poplin,  and  one  of  the  softest,  richest, 
plaided  silk,  were  given  the  next  day  into  Mrs.  Ryan's 
hands,  with  injunctions  to  spare  no  pains  or  expense  in 
trimming  and  making  both.  And  so  the  dress-making  for 
Katy's  bridal  was  proceeding  in  New  York,  in  spite  of 
Helenys  letter ;  while  down  in  Silverton,  at  the  farm-house, 
there  were  numerous  consultations  as  to  what  was  proper 
and  what  was  not,  Helen  sometimes  almost  wishing  she 
had  suffered  Mrs.  Ryan  to  come.  Katy  would  look  well 
in  anything,  but  Helen  knew  there  were  certain  styles 
preferable  to  others,  and  in  a  maze  of  perplexity  she  con 
sulted  with  this  and  that  individual,  until  all  Silverton 
knew  what  was  projected,  each  one  offering  the  benefit  of 
her  advice  until  Helen  and  Katy  were  nearly  distracted. 
Aunt  Betsy  suggested  a  blue  delaine  and  round  cape,  offer 
ing  to  get  it  herself,  and  actually  purchasing  the  material 
with  her  own  funds,  saved  from  drying  apples.  That 
would  answer  for  one  dress,  Helen  said,  but  not  for  the 
wedding;  and  she  was  becoming  more  undecided,  when 
Morris  came  to  the  rescue,  telling  Katy  of  a  young  woman 
who  had  for  some  time  past  been  his  patient,  but  who 
was  now  nearly  well  and  was  anxious  to  obtain  work  again. 
She  had  evidently  seen  better  days,  he  said ;  was  very  lady 
like  in  her  manner,  and  possessed  of  a  great  deal  of  taste, 
he  imagined;  besides  that,  she  had  worked  in  one  of  the 
largest  shops  in  New  York.  "As  I  am  going  this  after 
noon  over  to  North  Silverton,"  he  added,  in  conclusion, 
"  and  shall  pass  Miss  Hazelton's  house,  you  or  Helen  might 
accompany  me  and  see  for  yourself." 

It  was  decided  that  Helen  should  go,  and  about  four 
o'clock  she  found  herself  ringing  at  the  cottage  over 
whose  door  hung  the  sign,  "  Miss  M.  Hazelton,  Fashionable 
Dressmaker."  She  was  at  home,  and  in  a  few  moments 
Helen  was  talking  with  Marian  Hazelton,  whose  face 


The  Cameron  Pride.  73 

showed  signs  of  recent  illness,  but  was  nevertheless  very 
attractive,  from  its  peculiarly  sad  expression  and  the  soft 
liquid  eyes  of  dark  blue,  which  looked  as  if  they  were  not 
strangers  to  tears.  At  twenty  she  must  have  been  strik 
ingly  beautiful;  and  even  now,  at  thirty,  few  ladies  could 
have  vied  with  her  had  she  possessed  the  means  for  gratify 
ing  her  taste  and  studying  her  style.  About  the  mouth,  so 
perfect  in  repose,  there  was  when  she  spoke  a  singularly 
sweet  smile,  which  in  a  measure  prepared  one  for  the  low, 
silvery  voice,  which  had  a  strange  note  of  mournful  mi^ic 
in  its  tone,  making  Helen  start  as  it  asked,  "  Pid  you  wish 
to  see  me  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  Dr.  Grant  told  me  you  could  make  dresses,  and 
I  drove  round  with  him  to  secure  your  services,  if  possible, 
for  my  sister,  who  is  soon  to  be  married.  We  would 
like  it  so  much  if  you  could  go  to  our  house  instead  of 
having  Katy  come  here/' 

Marian  Hazelton  was  needing  work,  for  there  was  due 
more  than  three  months'"  board,  besides  the  doctor's  bill, 
and  so,  though  it  was  not  her  custom  to  go  from  house 
to  house,  she  would,  in  this  instance,  accommodate  Miss 
Lennox,  especially  as  during  her  illness  her  customers  had 
many  of  them  gone  elsewhere,  and  her  little  shop  was 
nearly  broken  up.  "  Was  it  an  elaborate  trousseau  she  was 
expected  to  make?"'  and  she  bent  down  to  turn  over  some 
fashion  plates  lying  upon  the  table. 

"  Oh,  no !  we  are  plain  country  people.  We  cannot 
afford  as  much  for  Katy  as  we  would  like;  besides,  I  dare 
say  Mr.  Cameron  will  prefer  selecting  most  of  her  ward 
robe  himself,  as  he  is  very  wealthy  and  fastidious/'  Helen 
replied,  repenting  the  next  instant  the  part  concerning 
Mr.  Cameron's  wealth,  as  that  might  look  like  boasting  to 
Miss  Hazelton,  whose  head  was  bent  lower  over  the  mag 
azine  as  she  said,  "  Did  I  understand  that  the  gentle 
man's  name  was  Cameron?" 

"Yes,  Wilford  Cameron,  from  New  York,"  Helen, 
answered,  holding  up  her  skirts  and  s-s-kt-ing  at  the 
kitten  which  came  running  toward  her,  evidently  intent 
upon  springing  into  her  lap. 

Fear  of  cats  was  Helen's  weakness,  if  weakness  it  can 
be  called,,  and  in  her  efforts  to  frighten  her  tormentor 


74  The  Cameron  Pride. 

she  did  not  look  again  at  Miss  Hazelton  until  startled  by 
a  gasping  cry  and  heavy  fall.  Marian  had  fainted,  and 
Helen  was  just  raising  her  head  from  the  floor  to  her  lap 
when  Morris  appeared,  relieving  her  of  her  burden,  of 
whom  he  took  charge  until  she  showed  signs  of  life.  In 
her  ahrm  Helen  forgot  entirely  what  they  were  talking 
about  when  the  faint  came  on,  and  her  first  question  put 
to  Marian  was,  "  Were  you  taken  suddenly  ill  ?  Why 
did  you  fahrt?" 

There  was  no  answer  at  first ;  but  when  she  did  speak 
Marian  said,  "  I  am  still  so  weak  that  the  least  exertion 
affects  me,  and  I  was  bending  over  the  table;  it  will  soon 
pass  off/' 

If  she  was  so  weak  she  was  not  able  to  work,  Helen  said, 
proposing  that  the  plan  be  for  the  present  abandoned, 
but  to  this  Marian  would  not  listen;  and  her  great  eager 
eyes  had  in  them  so  scared  a  look  that  Helen  said  no 
more  on  that  subject,  but  made  arrangements  for  her 
coming  to  them  at  once.  Morris  was  to  leave  his  patient 
some  medicine,  and  while  he  was  preparing  it,  Helen  had 
time  to  notice  her  more  carefully,  admiring  her  ladylike 
manners,  and  thinking  her  smile  the  sweetest  she  had  ever 
seen.  Greatly  interested  in  her,  Helen  plied  Morris  with 
questions  of  Miss  Hazelton  during  their  ride  home,  asking 
what  he  knew  of  her. 

"  Nothing,  except  that  she  came  to  North  Silverton  a 
year  ago,  opening  her  shop,  and  by  her  faithfulness,  and 
pleasant,  obliging  manners,  winning  favor  with  all  who 
employed  her.  Previous  to  her  sickness  she  had  a  few 
times  attended  St.  Paul's  at  South  Silverton,  that  being 
the  church  of  her  choice.  Had  Helen  never  observed 
her?" 

No,  Helen  had  not.  And  then  she  spoke  of  her  faint 
ing,  telling  how  sudden  it  was,  and  wondering  if  she  was 
subject  to  such  turns.  Marian  Hazelton  had  made  a 
strong  impression  on  Helen's  mind,  and  she  talked  of 
her  so  much  that  Katy  waited  her  appearance  at  the 
farm-house  with  feverish  anxiety.  It  was  evening  when 
she  came,  looking  very  white,  and  seeming  to  Helen  as 
if  she  had  changed  since  she  saw  her  first.  In  her  eyes 
there  was  a  kind  of  hopeless,  weary  expression,  while 


The  Cameron  Pride.  75 

her  smile  made  one  almost  wish  to  cry,  it  was  so  sad, 
and  yet  so  strangely  sweet.  Katy  felt  its  influence  at  once, 
growing  very  confidential  with  the  stranger,  who,  during 
the  half  hour  in  which  they  were  accidentally  left  alone, 
drew  from  her  every  particular  concerning  her  intended 
marriage.  Very  closely  the  dark  blue  eyes  scrutinized 
little  Katy,  taking  in  first  the  faultless  beauty  of  her  face, 
and  then  going  away  down  into  the  inmost  depths  of  her 
character,  as  if  to  find  out  what  was  there. 

"  Pure,  loving  innocent,  and  unsuspecting,"  was  Marian 
Hazelton's  verdict,  and  she  followed  wistfully  every  move 
ment  of  the  young  girl  as  she  flitted  around  the  room, 
chatting  as  familiarly  with  the  dressmaker  as  if  she  were 
a  friend  long  known  instead  of  an  entire  stranger. 

"  You  look  very  young  to  be  marriecl,"  Miss  Hazleton 
said  to  her  once,  and  shaking  back  her  short  rings  of 
hair  Katy  answered,  "  Eighteen  next  Fourth  of  July ; 
but  Mr.  Cameron  is  thirty." 

"Is  he  a  widower?"  was  the  next  question,  which 
Katy  answered  with  a  merry  laugh.  "  Mercy,  no !  / 
marry  a  widower !  How  funny !  I  don't  believe  he  ever 
cared  a  fig  for  anybody  but  me.  I  mean  to  ask  him." 

"  I  would,"  and  the  pale  lips  shut  tightly  together, 
while  a  resentful  gleam  shot  for  a  moment  across  Marian's 
face;  but  it  quickly  passed  away,  and  her  smile  was 
as  sweet  as  ever  as  she  at  last  bade  the  family  good 
night  and  repaired  to  the  little  room  where  Wilford 
Cameron  once  had  slept. 

A  long  time  she  stood  before  the  glass,  brushing  her 
dark  abundant  hair,  and  intently  regarding  her  own 
features,  while  in  her  eyes  there  was  a  hard,  terrible 
look,  from  which  Katy  Lennox  would  have  shrunk  in  fear. 
But  that  too  passed,  and  the  eyes  grew  soft  with  tears  as 
she  turned  away,  and  falling  on  her  knees  moaned  sadly, 
"  I  never  will — no,  I  never  will.  God  help  me  to  keep 
the  promise.  Were  it  the  other  one — Helen — I  might,  for 
she  could  bear  it ;  but  Katy,  that  child — no,  I  never  will," 
and  as  the  words  died  on  her  lips  there  came  struggling 
up  from  her  heart  a  prayer  for  Katy  Lennox's  happiness, 
as  fervent  and  sincere  as  any  which  had  ever  been  made 
for  her  since  she  was  betrothed. 


76  The  Cameron  Pride. 

They  grew  to  liking  each  other  rapidly,  Marian  and 
Katy,  the  latter  of  whom  thought  her  new  friend  greatly 
out  of  place  as  a  dressmaker,  telling  her  she  ought  to 
marry  some  rich  man,  calling  her  Marian  altogether,  and 
questioning  her  very  closely  of  her  previous  life.  But 
Marian  only  told  her  that  she  was  born  in  London;  that 
-lie  learned  her  trade  on  the  Isle  of  Wight,  near  to  the 
Osborne  House,  where  tlie  royal  family  sometimes  came, 
and  that  she  had  often  seen  the  present  Queen,  thus  trying 
to  divert  Katy's  mind  from  asking  what  there  was  besides 
that  apprenticeship  to  the  Misses  True  on  the  Isle  of 
Wight.  Once  indeed  she  went  farther,  saying  that  her 
friends  were  dead;  that  she  had  come  to  America  in  hopes 
of  doing  better  than  she  could  at  home;  that  she  had 
stayed  in  New  York  until  her  health  began  to  fail,  and  then 
had  tried  what  country  air  would  do,  coming  to  North 
Silverton  because  a  young  woman  who  worked  in  the  same 
shop  was  acquainted  there,  and  recommended  the  place. 
This  was  all  Katy  could  learn,  and  Marian's  heart  history, 
if  she  had  one,  was  guarded  carefully. 

They  had  decided  at  last  upon  the  wedding  dress, 
which  Helen  reserved  the  right  to  make  herself.  Miss 
Hazelton  must  fit  it,  of  course,  but  to  her  belonged  the 
privilege  of  making  it,  every  stitch ;  Katy  would  think 
more  of  it  if  she  did  it  all,  she  said ;  but  she  did  not  con 
fess  how  the  bending  over  the  dress,  *both  early  and  late, 
was  the  escape-valve  for  the  feeling  which  otherwise  would 
have  found  vent  in  passionate  tears.  Helen  was  very 
wretched  during  the  pleasant  May  days  she  usually  enjoyed 
so  much,  but  over  which  now  a  dark  pall  was  spread, 
shutting  out  all  the  brightness  and  leaving  only  the 
terrible  certainty  that  Katy  was  lost  to  her  forever — bright, 
frolicsome  Katy,  who,  without  a  shadow  on  her  heait, 
sported  amid  the  bridal  finery,  unmindful  of  the  anguish 
lugging  at  the  hearts  of  both  the  patient  women,  Marian 
and  Helen,  who  worked  on  so  silently,  reserving  their  tears 
for  the  night-time,  when  Katy  was  dreaming  of  Wilford 
Cameron.  Helen  was  greatly  interested  in  Marian,  but 
never  guessed  that  her  feelings,  too,  were  stirred  to  their 
very  depths  as  the  bridal  preparations  progressed^  She 
only  knew  how  wretched  she  was  herself,  and  how  hard 


The  Cameron  Pride.  77 

it  was  to  fight  her  tears  back  as  she  bent  over  the  silk,  weav 
ing  in  with  every  stitch  a  part  of  the  clinging  love  which 
each  day  grew  stronger  for  the  only  sister,  who  would 
soon  be  gone,  leaving  her  alone.  Only  once  did  she  break 
entirely  down,  and  that  was  when  the  dress  was  done  and 
Katy  fried  it  on,  admiring  its  effect  and  having  a  second 
glass  brought  that  she  might  see  it  behind. 

"  Isn't  it  lovely  ?  "  she  exclaimed  ;  "  and  the  more  valu- 
ab]e  because  you  made  it.  I  shall  think  of  you  every 
time  I  wear  it,"  and  the  impulsive  girl  wound  her  arms 
around  Helen's  neek,  kissing  her  lovingly,  while  Helen 
sank  into  a  chair  and  sobbed  aloud,  "  Oh,  Katy,  darling 
Ivaty !  you  won't  forget  me  when  you  are  rich  and  admired, 
and  can  have  all  you  want?  You  will  remember  us  here 
at  home,  so  sad  and  lonely  ?  You  don't  know  how  desolate 
it  will  be,  knowing  you  are  gone,  never  to  come  back  again, 
just  as  you  go  away." 

In  an  instant  Katy  was  on  her  knees  before  Helen, 
whom  she  tried  to  comfort  by  telling  her  she  should 
come  back, — come  often,  too,  staying  a  long  while;  and 
that  when  she  had  a  city  home  of  her  own  she  should 
live  with  her  for  good,  and  they  would  be  so  happy. 

"  I  cannot  quite  give  Wilford  up  to  please  you,"  she 
said,  when  that  gigantic  sacrifice  suggested  itself  as  some 
thing  which  it  was  possible  Helen  might  require  of  her; 
"but  I  will  do  anything  else,  only  please  don't  cry, 
darling  Nellie — please  don?t  cry.  It  spoils  all  my 
pleasure,"  and  Katy's  soft  hands  wiped  away  the  tears 
running  so  fast  over  her  sister's  face. 

After  that  Helen  did  not  cry  again  in  Katy's  presence, 
but  the  latter  knew  she  wanted  to,  and  it  made  her  rather 
sad,  particularly  when  she  saw  reflected  in  the  faces  of  the 
other  members  of  the  family  the  grief  she  had  witnessed 
in  Helen.  Even  Uncle  Ephraim  was  not  as  cheerful  as 
usual,  and  once  when  Katy  came  upon  him  in  the  woodshed 
chamber,  where  he  was  shelling  corn,  she  found  him 
resting  from  his  work  and  looking  from  the  window  far 
off  across  the  hills,  with  a  look  which  made  her  guess 
he  was  thinking  of  her,  and  stealing  up  beside  him  she 
laid  her  hand  upon  his  wrinkled  face,  whispering  softly, 
^  Poor  Uncle  Eph,  are  you  sorry,  too  ?  " 


78  The  Cameron  Pride. 

He  knew  what  she  meant,  and  the  aged  chin  quivered, 
while  a  big  tear  dropped  into  the  tub  of  corn  as  he  re 
plied.  "  Yes,  Katy-did — very  sorry." 

That  was  all  he  said,  and  Katy,  after  smoothing  his 
silvery  hair  a  moment,  kissed  his  cheek  and  then  stole 
away,  wondering  if  the  love  to  which  she  was  going  was 
equal  to  the  love  of  home,  which,  as  the  days  went  by, 
grew  stronger  and  stronger,  enfolding  her  in  a  mighty 
embrace,  which  could  only  be  severed  by  bitter  tears 
and  fierce  heart-pangs,  such  as  death  itself  sometimes 
brings.  In  that  household  there  was,  after  Katy,  no 
one  glad  of  that  marriage  except  the  mother,  and  she 
was  only  glad  because  of  the  position  it  would  bring  to 
her  daughter.  But  among  them  all  Morris  suffered  most, 
and  suffered  more  because  he  had  to  endure  in  secret,  so 
that  no  one  guessed  the  pain  it  was  for  him  to  go  each 
day  where  Katy  was,  and  watch  her  as  she  sometimes 
donned  a  part  of  her  finery  for  his  benefit,  asking  him 
once  if  he  did  not  wish  he  were  in  Wilford's  place,  so  as 
to  have  as  pretty  a  bride  as  she  should  make.  Then 
Marian  Hazelton  glanced  up  in  time  to  see  the  expression 
of  his  face,  a  look  whose  meaning  she  readily  recognized, 
and  when  Dr.  Grant  left  the  farm-house  that  day,  another 
than  himself  knew  of  his  love  for  Katy,  drawing  her 
breath  hurriedly  as  she  thought  of  taking  back  the  words, 
"  I  never  will/' — of  revoking  that  decision  and  telling 
Katy  what  Wilford  Cameron  should  have  told  her  long 
before.  But  the  wild  wish  fled,  and  Wilford's  secret  was 
safe,  while  Marian  watched  Morris  Grant  with  a  pitying 
interest  as  he  came  among  them,  speaking  always  in  the 
same  kind,  gentle  tone,  and  trying  so  hard  to  enter  into 
Katy's  joy. 

"  His  burden  is  greater  than  mine.  God  help  us  both," 
Marian  said,  as  she  resumed  her  work. 

And  so  amid  joy  and  gladness,  silent  tears  and  break 
ing  hearts,  the  preparations  went  on  until  all  was  done, 
and  only  three  days  remained  before  the  eventful  tenth. 
Marian  Hazelton  was  going  home,  for  she  would  not 
stay  at  the  farm-house  until  all  was  over,  notwithstand 
ing  Katy's  entreaties  were  joined  to  those  of  Helen. 

"  Perhaps   she  would  come  to   the  church/'   she  said, 


The  Cameron  Pride.  79 

"  though  she  could  not  promise ; "  and  her  manner  was 
so  strange  that  Katy  wondered  if  she  could  have  offended 
her,  and  at  last  said  to  her  timidly,  as  she  stood  with 
her  bonnet  on,  waiting  for  Uncle  Ephraim,  "  You  are  not 
angry  with  me  for  anything,  are  you  ?  " 

"Angry  with  you!"  and  Katy  never  forgot  the  glitter 
of  the  tearful  eyes,  or  their  peculiar  expression  as  they 
turned  upon  her.  "  No,  oh,  no;  I  could  not  be  angry 
with  you,  and  yet,  Katy  Lennox,  some  in  my  position 
would  hate  you,  contrasting  your  prospects  with  their 
own;  but  I  do  not;  I  love  you;  I  bless  you,  and  pray 
that  you  may  be  happy  with  your  husband;  honor  him, 
obey  him  if  need  be,  and  above  all,  never  give  him  the 
slightest  cause  to  doubt  you.  You  will  have  admirers, 
Katy  Lennox.  In  New  York  others  than  your  husband 
will  speak  to  you  words  of  flattery,  but  don't  you  listen. 
Eemember  what  I  tell  you;  and  now,  again,  God  bless 
you." 

She  touched  her  lips  to  Katy's  forehead,  and  when 
they  were  withdrawn  there  were  great  tears  there  which 
she  had  left!  Marian's  tears  on  Ivaty's  brow;  and  it  was 
very  meet  that  just  before  her  bridal  day  Wilford  Cam 
eron's  bride  should  receive  such  baptism  from  Marian 
Hazelton. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

BEFORE  THE  MARRIAGE. 

ON  the  morning  of  the  9th  day  of  June,  18 — ,  Wilford 
Cameron  stood  in  his  father's  parlor,  surrounded  by  the 
entire  family,  who,  after  their  unusually  early  breakfast, 
had  assembled  to  bid  him  good-bye,  for  Wilford  was  going 
for  his  bride,  and  it  would  be  months,  if  not  a  year,  ere 
he  returned  to  them  again.  They  had  given  him  up  to  his 
idol,  asking  only  that  none  of  the  idol's  family  should  be 
permitted  to  cross  their  threshold,  and  also  that  the  idol 
should  not  often  be  allowed  the  privilege  of  returning 
to  the  place  from  whence  she  came.  These  restrictions 
had  emanated  from  the  female  portion  of  the  Cameron 
family,  the  mother,  Juno  and  Bell.  The  father,  on  the 


80  The  Cameron  Pride. 

contrary,  had  sworn  roundly  as  he  would  sometimes  swear 
at  what  he  called  the  contemptible  pride  of  his  wife  and 
daughters.  Katy  was  sure  of  a  place  in  his  heart  just 
because  of  the  pride  which  was  building  up  so  high  a 
wall  between  her  and  her  friends,  and  when  at  parting  he 
held  his  son's  hand  in  his,  he  said, 

"  I  charge  you,  Will,  be  kind  to  that  young  girl,  and 
don't  for  Heaven's  sake  go  to  cramming  her  with  airs  and 
nonsense  which  she  does  not  understand.  Tell  her  I'll 
be  a  father  to  her;  her  own,  you  say,  is  dead,  and  give 
her  this  as  my  bridal  present." 

He  held  out  a  small  box  containing  a  most  exquisite 
set  of  pearls,  such  as  he  fancied  would  be  becoming  to 
the  soft,  girlish  beauty  Wilford  had  described.  Some 
thing  in  his  father's  manner  touched  Wilford  closely, 
making  him  resolve  anew  that  if  Kitty  were  not  happy 
as  Mrs.  Cameron  it  should  not  be  his  fault.  His  mother 
had  said  all  she  wished  to  say,  while  his  sisters  had  been 
gracious  enough  to  send  their  love  to  the  bride,  Bell  hop 
ing  she  would  look  as  well  in  the  poplin  and  little  plaid 
as  she  had  done.  Either  was  suitable  for  the  wedding 
day,  Mrs.  Cameron  said,  and  she  might  take  her  choice, 
only  Wilford  must  see  that  she  did  not  wear  with  the 
poplin  the  gloves  and  belt  intended  for  the  silk ;  country 
people  had  so  little  taste,  and  she  did  want  Katy  to  look 
well,  even  if  she  were  not  there  to  see*  her.  And  with  his 
brain  a  confused  medley  of  poplins  and  plaids,  belts  and 
gloves,  pearls  and  Katy,  Wilford  finally  tore  himself  away, 
and  at  three  o'clock  that  afternoon  drove  through  Silverton 
village,  past  the  little  church,  which  the  Silverton  maidens 
were  decorating  with  flowers,  pausing  a  moment  in  their 
work  to  lock  at  him  as  he  went  by.  Among  them  was 
Marian  Hazelton,  but  she  only  bent  lower  over  her  work, 
thus  hiding  the  tear  which  dropped  upon  the  delicate  buds 
she  was  fashioning  into  the  words,,  "Joy  to  the  Bride," 
intending  the  whole  as  the  center  of  the  wreath  to  be 
placed  over  the  altar  where  all  could  see  it. 

"  The  handsomest  man  I  ever  saw,"  w?s  the  verdict  of 
most  of  the  girls  as  they  came  back  to  their  work,  while 
Wilford  drove  on  to  the  farm-house  where  Katy  had  been 
so  anxiously  watching  for  him. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  81 

When  he  came  in  sight,  however,  and  she  knew  he  was 
actually  there,  she  ran  away  to  hide  her  blushes,  and  the 
feeling  of  awe  which  had  come  suddenly  over  her  for  the 
man  who  was  to  be  her  husband.  But  Helen  bade  her  go 
back,  and  so  she  went  coyly  in  to  Wilford,  who  met  her 
with  loving  caresses,  and  then  put  upon  her  finger  the 
superb  diamond  which  he  said  he  had  thought  to  send  as  a 
pledge  of  their  engagement,  but  had  finally  concluded  to 
wait  and  present  himself.  Katy  had  heard  much  of  dia 
monds,  and  seen  some  in  Canandaigua;  but  the  idea  th'it 
she,  plain  Katy  Lennox,  would  ever  wear  them,  had  never 
entered  her  mind ;  and  now,  as  she  looked  at  the  brilliant 
gem  sparkling  upon  her  hand,  she  felt  a  thrill  of  some 
thing  more  than  joy  at  that  good  fortune  which  had 
brought  her  to  diamonds.  Vanity,  we  suppose  it  was — such 
vanity  as  was  very  natural  in  her  case,  and  she  thought 
she  should  never  tire  of  looking  at  the  precious  stone; 
but  when  Wilford  showed  her  next  the  plain  broad  band 
of  gold,  and  tried  it  on  her  third  finger,  asking  if  she  knew 
what  it  meant,  the  true  woman  spoke  within  her,  and  she 
answered  tearfully, 

"  Yes,  I  know,  and  I  will  try  to  prove  worthy  of  what 
I  shall  be  to  you  when  I  wear  that  ring  for  good." 

Katy  was  very  quiet  for  a  moment  as  she  sat  with  her 
head  nestled  against  Wilford's  bosom,  but  when  he  observed 
that  she  was  looking  tired,  and  asked  if  she  had  been  work 
ing  hard,  the  quiet  fit  was  broken,  and  she  told  him  of 
the  dress  "  we  had  made/'  the  we  referring  solely  to  Helen 
and  Marian,  for  Katy  had  hardly  done  a  thing.  But  it 
did  not  matter;  she  fancied  she  had,  and  she  asked  if  he 
did  not  wish  to  see  her  dresses.  Wilford  knew  it  would 
please  Katy,  and  so  he  followed  her  into  the  adjoining 
room,  where  they  were  spread  out  upon  tables  and  chairs, 
with  Helen  in  their  midst,  ready  to  pack  them  away. 
Wilford  thought  of  Mrs.  Eyan  and  the  check,  but  he 
shook  hands  with  Helen  very  civilly,  saying  to  her  play 
fully, 

"  I  suppose  you  are  willing  I  should  take  your  sister 
with  me  this  time." 

Helen  could  not  answer,  but  turned  away  to  hide  her 
face,  while  Katy  showed  one  dress  after  another,  until 


82  The  Cameron  Pride. 

she  came  to  the  silk,  which,  with  a  bright  blush,  she  told 
him  "  was  the  very  thing  itself — the  one  intended  for 
to-morrow,"  and  asked  if  he  did  not  like  it. 

Wilford  could  not  help  telling  her  yes,  for  he  knew  she 
wished  him  to  do  so,  but  in  his  heart  he  was  thinking 
bad  thoughts  against  the  wardrobe  of  his  bride  elect — 
thoughts  which  would  have  won  for  him  the  title  of  hen- 
huzzy  from  Helen,  could  she  have  known  them.  And  yet 
Wilford  did  not  deserve  that  name.  He  had  been  accus 
tomed  all  his  life  to  hearing  dress  discussed  in  his  mother's 
parlor,  and  in  his  sister's  boudoir,  while  for  the  last 
five  weeks  he  had  heard  at  home  of  little  else  than  the 
probable  tout  ensemble  of  Katy's  wardrobe,  bought  and 
made  in  the  country,  his  mother  deciding  finally  to  write 
to  her  cousin,  Mrs.  Harvey,  who  boarded  at  the  Eevere, 
and  have  her  see  to  it  before  Katy  left  the  city.  Under 
these  circumstances,  it  was  not  strange  that  Wilford  ,did 
not  enter  into  Katy's  delight,  even  after  she  told  him  how 
Helen  had  made  every  stitch  of  the  dress  herself,  and  that 
it  would  on  that  account  be  very  dear  to  her.  This 
was  a  favorable  time  for  getting  the  poplin  off  his  mind, 
and  with  a  premonitory  ahem  he  said,  "  Yes,  it  is  very 
nice,  no  doubt;  but,"  and  here  he  turned  to  Helen, 
"  after  Mrs.  Ryan's  services  were  declined,  my  mother  de 
termined  to  have  two  dresses  fitted  to  sister  Bell,  who  I 
think  is  just  Katy's  size  and  figure.  1  need  not  say,'"'  and 
his  eyes  still  rested  on  Helen,  who  gave  him  back  an  un 
flinching  glance,  "  I  need  not  say  that  no  pains  have  been 
spared  to  make  these  garments  everything  they  should  be 
in  point  of  quality  and  style.  I  have  them  in  my  trunk, 
and,"  turning  now  to  Katy,  "  it  is  my  mother's  special 
request  that  one  of  them  be  worn  to-morrow.  You  could 
take  your  choice,  she  said — either  was  suitable.  I  will 
bring  them  for  your  inspection." 

He  left  the  room,  while  Helen's  'face  resembled  a 
dark  thunder-cloud,  whose  lightnings  shone  in  her  flashing 
eyes  as  she  looked  after  him  and  then  back  to 
where  Katy  stood,  bewildered  and  wondering  what  was 
wrong. 

"Who  is  Mrs.  Ryan?"  she  asked.  "What  does  he 
mean  ? "  but  before  Helen  could  command  her  voice  to 


The  Cameron  Pride.  83 

explain,  Wilford  was  with  them  again,  bringing  the 
dresses,  over  which  Katy  nearly  went  wild. 

She  had  never  seen  anything  as  elegant  as  the  rich 
heavy  poplin  or  the  soft  lustrous  silk,  while  even  Helen 
acknowledged  that  there  was  about  them  a  finish  which 
threw  Miss  Hazelton's  quite  in  the  shade. 

"  Beautiful !  "  Katy  exclaimed ;  "  and  trimmed  so  ex 
quisitely  !  I  do  so  hope  they  will  fit !  " 

"  I  dare  say  they  will,"  Wilford  replied,  enjoying  her 
appreciation  of  his  mother's  gift.  "  At  all  events  they 
will  answer  for  to-morrow,  and  any  needful  alterations 
can  be  made  in  Boston.  Which  will  you  wear  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know.  I  wish  I  could  wear  both.  Helen, 
which  shall  I?"  and  Katy  appealed  to  her  sister,  who 
could  endure  no  more,  but  hid  her  head  among  the  pil 
lows  of  the  bed  and  cried. 

Katy  understood  the  whole,  and  dropping  the  silk  to 
which  she  inclined  the  most,  she  flew  to  Helen's  side  and 
whispered  to  her,  "  Don't,  Nellie,  I  won't  wear  either  of 
them.  I'll  wear  the  one  you  made.  It  was  mean  and 
vain  in  me  to  think  of  doing  otherwise." 

During  this  scene  Wilford  had  stolen  from  the  room, 
and  with  him  gone  Helen  was  capable  of  judging  candidly 
and  sensibly.  She  knew  the  citv  silk  was  handsomer  and 
better  suited  for  Wilford  Cameron's  bride  than  the  country 
plaid,  and  so  she  said  to  Katy,  "  I  would  rather  you  should 
wear  the  one  they  sent.  It  will  become  you  better.  Sup 
pose  you  try  it  on,"  and  in  seeking  to  gratify  her  sister, 
Helen  forgot  in  part  her  own  cruel  disappointment,  and 
that  her  work  of  days  had  been  for  naught.  The  dress 
fitted  well,  though  Katy  pronounced  it  too  tight  and  too 
long.  A  few  moments,  however,  accustomed  her  to  the 
length,  and  then  her  mother,  Aunt  Hannah,  and  Aunt 
Betsy,  came  to  see  and  admire,  while  Katy  proposed  going 
out  to  Wilford,  but  Helen  kept  her  back,  Aunt  Betsy  re 
marking  under  her  breath,  that  "she  didn't  see  for  the 
life  on  her  how  Catherine  could  be  so  free  and  easy  with 
that  man  when  just  the  sight  of  him  was  enough  to  take 
away  a  body's  breath." 

"  More  free  and  easy  than  she  will  be  by  and  by,"  was 
Helen's  mental  comment  as  she  proceeded  quietly  to  pack 


84  The  Cameron  Pride. 

the  trunk  which  Morris  had  brought  for  the  voyage  across 
the  sea,  dropping  into  it  many  a  tear  as  she  folded  away 
one  article  after  another,  and  wondered  under  what  cir 
cumstances  she  should  see  them  again  if  she  saw  them 
ever. 

Helen  was  a  Christian  girl,  and  many  a  time  had  she 
prayed  in  secret  that  He  who  rules  the  deep  would  keep 
its  waters  calm  and  still  while  her  sister  was  upon  them, 
and  she  prayed  so  now,  constantly,  burying  her  face  once 
in  her  hands,  and  asking  that  Katy  might  come  back  to 
them  unchanged,  if  possible,  and  asking  next  that  God 
would  remove  from  her  heart  all  bitterness  towards  the 
bridegroom,  who  was  to  be  her  brother,  and  whom,  after 
that  short,  earnest  prayer,  she  found  herself  liking  better. 
He  loved  Katy,  she  wns  sure,  and  that  was  all  she  cared 
for,  though  she  did  wish  he  would  release  her  before 
twelve  o'clock  on  that  night,  the  last  she  would  spend 
with  them  for  a  long,  long  time.  But  Wilford  kept  her 
with  him  in  the  parlor,  kissing  away  the  tears  which 
flowed  so  fast  when  she  recalled  the  prayer  said  by  Uncle 
Ephraim,  with  her  kneeling  by  him  as  she  might  njver 
kneel  again.  He  had  called  her  by  her  name,  and  li's 
voice  was  very  sad  as  he  commended  her  to  God,  asking 
that  he  would  "be  with  our  little  Katy  wherever  she 
might  go,  keeping  her  in  all  the  mewandering  scenes  of 
life,  and  bringing  her  at  last  to  his  own  heavenly  home." 

Wilford  himself  was  touched,  and  though  he  noticed  the 
deacon's  pronunciation,  he  did  not  even  smile,  and  his 
manner  was  very  respectful,  when,  after  the  prayer  was 
over  and  they  were  alone  a  moment,  the  white-haired 
deacon  felt  it  incumbent  upon  him  to  say  a  few  words 
concerning  Katy. 

"  She's  a  young,  rattle-headed  creature,  not  much  like 
your  own  kin,  I  guess;  but,  young  man,  she  is  as  dear  as 
the  apple  of  our  eyes,  and  I  charge  you  to  treat  her  well. 
She  has  never  had  a  crossways  word  spoke  to  her  all 
her  life,  and  don't  you  be  the  first  to  speak  it,  nor  let 
your  folks  browbeat  her." 

As  they  were  alone,  it  was  easier  for  Wilford  to  be 
humble  and  conciliatory,  and  he  promised  all  the  old 
man  reauired,  and  then  went  back  to  Katy,  who  was  going 


The  Cameron  Pride.  85 

into  raptures  over  the  beautiful  little  watch  which  Morris 
had  sent  over  as  her  bridal  gift  from  him.  Even  Mrs. 
Cameron  herself  could  have  found  no  fault  with  this,  and 
Wilford  praised  it  as  much  as  Katy  could  desire,  noticing 
the  inscription,  "  Katy,  from  Cousin  Morris,  June  10th, 
18 — ,"  wishing  that  after  the  "  Katy  "  had  come  the  name 
Cameron,  and  wondering  if  Morris  had  any  design  in 
omitting  it.  Wilford  had  not  yet  presented  his  father's 
gift,  but  he  did  so  now,  and  Katy's  tears  dropped  upon 
the  pale,  soft  pearls  as  she  whispered,  "  I  shall  like  your 
father.  I  never  thought  of  having  things  Ipke  these." 

Nor  had  she;  but  she  would  grow  to  them  very  soon, 
while  even  the  family  gathering  round  and  sharing  in  her 
joy  began  to  realize  how  great  a  lady  their  Katy  was  to 
be.  It  was  late  that  night  ere  anybody  slept,  if  sleep  at  all 
they  did,  which  was  doubtful,  unless  it  were  the  bride, 
who,  with  Wilford's  kisses  warm  upon  her  lips,  crept  up 
to  bed  just  as  the  clock  was  striking  twelve,  nor  awoke 
until  it  was  again  chiming  six,  and  over  her  Helen  bent, 
a  dark  ring  about  her  eyes  and  her  face  very  white  as  she 
whispered,  "  Wake,  Katy  darling,  this  is  your  wedding 
day." 


CHAPTER  X. 

MARRIAGE  AT  ST.  JOHN'S. 

THERE  were  more  than  a  few  lookers-on  to  see  Katy 
Lennox  married,  and  the  church  was  literally  jammed  for 
full  three-quarters  of  an  hour  before  the  appointed  time. 
Back  by  the  door,  where  she  commanded  a  full  view  of 
the  middle  aisle,  Marian  Hazelton  sat,  her  face  as  white 
as  ashes,  and  her  eyes  gleaming  strangely  wild  from  be 
neath  the  thickly  dotted  veil  she  wore  over  her  hat. 
Doubts  as  to  her  wisdom  in  coming  there  were  agitating 
her  mind,  but  something  kept  her  sitting  just  as  others 
sat  waiting  for  the  bride  until  the  sexton,  opening  wide 
the  doors,  and  assuming  an  added  air  of  consequence, 
told  the  anxious  spectators  that  the  party  had  arrived — 
Uncle  Ephraim  and  Katy,  Wilford  and  Mrs.  Lennox,  Dr. 
Morris  and  Helen,  Aunt  Hannah  and  Aunt  Betsy — that 


86  The  Cameron  Pride. 

was  all,  and  they  came  slowly  up  the  aisle,  while  cou»tless 
eyes  were  turned  upon  them,  every  woman  noticing  Katy's 
dress  sweeping  the  carpet  with  so  long  a  trail,  and  know 
ing  by  some  queer  female  instinct  that  it  was  city-made, 
and  not  the  handiwork  of  Marian  Hazelton,  panting  for 
breath  in  that  pew  near  the  door,  and  trying  to  forget 
herself  by  watching  Dr.  Grant.  She  could  not  have  told 
what  Katy  wore;  she  would  not  have  sworn  that  Katy 
was  there,  for  she  saw  only  two,  Wilford  aiid  Morris 
Grant.  She  could  have  touched  the  former  as  he  passed 
her  by,  and  she  did  breathe  the  odor  of  his  garments  while 
her  hands  clasped  each  other  tightly,  and  then  she  turned 
to  Morris  Grant,  growing  content  with  her  own  pain,  so 
much  less  than  his  as  he  stood  before  the  altar  with  Wil 
ford  Cameron  between  him  and  the  bride  which  should 
have  been  his.  How  pretty  she  was  in  her  wedding  garb, 
and  how  like  a  bird  her  voice  rang  out  as  she  responded 
to  the  solemn  question, 

"  Will  you  have  this  man  to  be  thy  wedded  husband," 
etc. 

Upon  Uncle  Ephraim  devolved  the  duty  of  giving  her 
away,  a  thing  which  Aunt  Betsy  denounced  as  a  "  'Piscopal 
quirk,"  classing  it  in  the  same  category  with  dancing. 
Still  if  Ephraim  had  got  it  to  do  she  wanted  him  to  do  it 
well,  and  she  had  taken  some  pains  to  study  that  part  of 
the  ceremony,  so  as  to  know  when  to4  nudge  her  brother 
in  case  he  failed  of  coming  up  to  time. 

"  Now,  Ephraim,  now ;  they've  reached  the  quirk,"  she 
whispered,  audibly,  almost  before  Katy's  "  I  will "  was 
heard,  clear  and  distinct;  but  Ephraim  did  not  need  her 
prompting,  and  his  hand  rested  lovingly  upon  Katy's 
shoulder  as  he  signified  his  consent,  and  then  fell  back 
to  his  place  next  to  Hannah.  But  when  Wilford's  voice 
said,  "  I,  Wilford,  take  thee  Katy  to  be  my  wedded  wife," 
there  was  a  slight  confusion  near  the  door,  and  those 
sitting  by  said  to  those  in  front  that  some  one  had  fainted. 
Looking  round,  the  audience  saw  the  sexton  leading 
Marian  Hazleton  out  into  the  open  air,  where,  at  her 
request,  he  left  h^r,  and  went  back  to  see  the  closing  of 
the  ceremony  which  made  Katy  Lennox  a  wife.  Morris's 
carriage  was  at  the  door,  and  the  newly  married  pair 


The  Cameron  Pride.  87 

moved  slowly  out,  Katy  smiling  upon  all,  kissing  her  hand 
to  some  and  whispering  a  good-bye  to  others,  her  dia 
monds  flashing  in  the  light  and  her  rich  silk  rustling  as 
she  walked,  while  at  her  side  was  Wilford,  proudly  erect, 
and  holding  his  head  so  high  as  not  to  see  one  of  the  crowd 
around  him,  until,  arrived  at  the  vestibule,  he  stopped  a 
moment  and  was  seized  by  a  young  man  with  curling 
hair,  saucy  eyes,  and  that  air  of  ease  and  assurance  which 
betokens  high  breeding  and  wealth. 

"  Mark  Kay  !  "  was  Wilf  ord's  astonished  exclamation, 
while  Mark  Ray  replied, 

"You  did  not  expect  to  see  me  here,  neither  did  I  ex 
pect  to  come  until  last  night,  when  I  found  myself  in  the 
little  village  where  you  know  Scranton  lives.  Then  it 
occurred  to  me  that  as  Silverton  was  only  a  few  miles 
distant  I  would  drive  over  and  surprise  you,  but  I  am  too 
late  for  the  ceremony,  I  see,"  and  Mark's  eyes  rested  ad 
miringly  upon  Katy,  whose  graceful  beauty  was  fully 
equal  to  what  he  had  imagined. 

Very  modestly  she  received  his  congratulatory  greeting, 
blushing  prettily  when  he  called  her  by  the  new  name  she 
had  not  heard  before,  and  then,  at  a  motion  from  Wil 
ford,  entered  the  carriage  waiting  for  her.  Close  behind 
her  came  Morris  and  Helen,  the  former  quite  as  much 
astonished  at  meeting  Mark  as  Wilford  had  been.  There 
was  no  time  for  conversation,  and  hurriedly  introducing 
Helen  as  Miss  Lennox,  Morris  followed  her  into  the  car 
riage  with  the  bridal  pair,  and  was  driven  to  the  depot, 
where  they  were  joined  by  Mark,  whose  pleasant  good- 
humored  sallies  did  much  towards  making  the  parting 
more  cheerful  than  it  would  otherwise  have  been.  It 
was  sad  enough  at  the  most,  and  Katy's  eyes  were 
very  red,  while  Wilford  was  beginning  to  look  chagrined 
and  impatient,  when  at  last  the  train  swept  round  the 
corner  and  the  very  last  good-bye  was  said.  Many  of  the 
village  people  were  there  to  see  Katy  off,  and  in  the  crowd 
Mark  had  no  means  of  distinguishing  the  Barlows  from 
the  others,  except  it  were  by  the  fond  caresses  given  to 
the  bride.  Aunt  Betsy  he  had  observed  from  all  the  rest, 
both  from  the  hanging  of  her  pongee  and  the  general 
quaintness  of  her  attire,  and  thinking  it  just  possible  that 


88  The  Cameron  Pride. 

it  might  be  the  lady  of  herrin'  bone  memory,  he  touched 
Wilford's  arm  as  she  passed  them  by,  and  said, 

"  Tell  me,  Will,  quick,  who  is  that  woman  in  the  poke 
bonnet  and  short,  slim  dress  ?  " 

Wilford  was  just  then  too  much  occupied  in  his  efforts 
to  rescue  Katy  from  the  crowd  of  plebeians  who  had  seized 
upon  her  to  hear  his  friend's  query,  but  Helen  heard  it, 
acd  with  a  cheek  which  crimsoned  with  anger,  she  re 
plied, 

"  That,  sir,  is  my  aunt,  Miss  Betsy  Barlow." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  I  really  do.  I  was  not  aware " 

Mark  began,  lifting  his  hat  involuntarily,  and  mentally 
cursing  himself  for  his  stupidity  in  not  observing  who 
was  near  to  him  before  asking  personal  questions. 

With  a  toss  of  her  head  Helen  turned  away,  forgetting 
her  resentment  in  the  more  absorbing  thought  that  Katy 
was  leaving  her. 

The  bell  had  rung,  the  heavy  machinery  groaned  and 
creaked,  and  the  long  train  was  under  way,  while  from 
an  open  window  a  little  white  hand  was  thrust,  waving 
its  handkerchief  until  the  husband  quietly  drew  it  in,  ex 
periencing  a  feeling  of  relief  that  all  was  over,  and  that 
unless  he  chose  his  wife  need  never  go  back  again  to  that 
vulgar  crowd  standing  upon  the  platform  and  looking  with 
tearful  eyes  and  aching  hearts  after  the  fast  receding 
train. 

For  a  moment  Mark  talked  with  Morris  Grant,  explain 
ing  how  he  came  there,  and  adding  that  on  the  morrow 
he  too  intended  going  on  to  Boston,  to  remain  for  a  few 
days  before  Wilford  sailed;  then,  feeling  that  he  must 
in  some  way  atone  for  his  awkward  speech  regarding  Aunt 
Betsy,  he  sought  out  Helen,  still  standing  like  a  statue 
and  watching  the  feathery  line  of  smoke  rising  above  the 
distant  trees.  Her  bonnet  had  partially  fallen  from  her 
head,  revealing  her  bands  of  rich  brown  hair  and  the 
smooth  brond  forehead,  while  her  hands  were  locked  to 
gether,  and  a  tear  trembled  on  her  dark  eye-lashes.  Taken 
as  a  whole  she  made  a  striking  picture  standing  apart  from 
the  rest  and  totally  oblivious  to  them  all,  and  Mark  gazed 
at  her  a  moment  curiously;  then,  as  her  attitude  changed 
and  she  drew  her  hat  back  to  its  place,  he  advanced  to- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  89 

ward  her,  making  some  pleasant  remark  about  the  morn 
ing  and  the  appearance  of  the  country  generally.  He 
knew  he  could  not  openly  apologize,  but  he  made  what 
amends  he  could  by  talking  to  her  so  familiarly  that 
Helen  almost  forgot  how  she  hated  him  and  all  others  who 
like  him  lived  in  New  York  and  resembled  Wilford  Cam 
eron.  It  was  Mark  who  led  her  to  the  carriage  which 
Morris  said  was  waiting.  Mark  who  handed  her  in. 
smoothing  down  the  folds  of  her  dress,  and  then  stood 
leaning  against  the  door,  chatting  with  Morris,  who  thought 
once  of  asking  him  to  enter  and  go  back  to  Linwood.  But 
when  he  remembered  how  unequal  he  was  to  entertaining 
any  one  that  day,,  he  said  merely, 

"  On  your  way  from  Boston,  call  and  see  me.  I  shall 
be  glad  of  your  company  then." 

"  Which  means  that  you  do  not  wish  it  now,"  Mark 
laughingly  rejoined,  as,  offering  his  hand  to  both  Morris 
and  Helen,  he  touched  his  hat  and  walked  away. 

CHAPTEE  XL 

AFTER  THE  MARRIAGE. 

WHY  did  you  invite  him  to  Linwood  ?  "  Helen  began. 
"I  am  sure  we  have  had  city  guests  enough.  Oh,  if 
Wilford  Cameron  had  only  never  come,  we  should  have 
had  Katy  now,"  and  the  sister-love  overcame  every  other 
feeling,  making  Helen  cry  bitterly  as  they  drove  back  to 
the  farm-house. 

Morris  could  not  comfort  her  then,  and  so  in  silence 
he  left  her  and  went  on  his  way  to  Linwood.  It  was 
well  for  him  that  there  were  many  sick  ones  on  his  list, 
for  in  attending  to  them  he  forgot  himself  in  part,  so 
that  the  day  with  him  passed  faster  than  at  the  farm 
house,  where  life  and  its  interests  seemed  suddenly  to  have 
stopped.  Nothing  had  power  to  rouse  Helen,  who  never 
realized  how  much  she  loved  her  young  sister  until  now, 
when  she  listlessly  put  to  rights  the  room  which  had  been 
theirs  so  long,  but  which  was  now  hers  alone.  It  was  a 
sad  task  picking  up  that  disordered  chamber,  bearing  so 
many  traces  of  Katy,  and  Helen's  heart  ached  terribly 
as  she  hung  away  the  little  pink  calico  dressing-gown  in 


90  The  Cameron  Pride. 

which  Katy  had  looked  so  prettily,  and  picked  up  from 
the  floor  the  pile  of  skirts  lying  just  where  they  had 
been  left  the  previous  night;  but  when  it  came  to  the 
little  half-worn  slippers  which  had  been  thrown  one  here 
and  another  there  as  Katy  danced  out  of  them,  she  could 
control  herself  no  longer,  and  stopping  in  her  work  sobbed 
bitterly,  "  Oh,  Katy,  Katy,  how  can  I  live  without  you !  " 
But  tears  could  not  bring  Katy  back,  and  knowing  this, 
Helen  dried  her  eyes  ere  long  and  joined  the  family  be 
low,  who  like  herself  were  spiritless  and  sad. 

It  was  some  little  solace  to  them  all  that  day  to  follow 
Katy  in  her  journey,  saying,  she  is  at  Worcester,  or 
Framingham,  or  Newton,  and  when  at  noon  they  sat  down 
to  their  dinner  in  the  tidy  kitchen  they  said,  "  She  is  in 
Boston,"  and  the  saying  so  made  the  time  which  had 
elapsed  since  the  morning  seem  interminable.  Slowly  the 
hours  dragged,  and  at  last,  before  the  sun-setting,  Helen, 
who  could  bear  the  loneliness  of  home  no  longer,  stole 
across  the  fields  to  Linwood,  hoping  in  Morris's  compan 
ionship  to  forget  her  own  grief  in  part.  But  Morris  was 
a  sorry  comforter  then.  He  had  ministered  as  usual 
to  his  patients  that  day,  listening  to  their  complaints  and 
answering  patiently  their  inquiries ;  but  amid  it  all  he 
walked  as  in  a  maze,  hearing  nothing  except  the  words, 
"  I,  Katy,  take  thee,  Wilford,  to  be  my  wedded  husband," 
and  seeing  nothing  but  the  airy  little  *figure  which  stood 
up  on  tiptoe  for  him  to  kiss  its  lips  at  parting.  His  work 
for  the  day  was  over  now,  and  he  sat  alone  in  his  library 
when  Helen  came  hurriedly  in,  starting  at  sight  of  his 
face,  and  asking  if  he  was  ill. 

"  I  have  had  a  hard  day's  work,"  he  said.  "  I  am 
always  tired  at  night,"  and  he  tried  to  smile  and  appear 
natural.  "  Are  you  very  lonely  at  the  farm-house  ?  "  he 
asked,  and  then  Helen  broke  out  afresh,  mourning  some 
times  for  Katy,  and  again  denouncing  Wilford  as  proud 
and  heartless. 

"  Positively,  Cousin  Morris,  he  acted  all  the  while  he 
was  in  the  church  as  if  he  were  doing  something  of  which 
he  was  ashamed;  and  then  did  you  notice  how  impatient 
he  seemed  when  the  neighbors  were  shaking  hands  with 
Katy  at  the  depot,  and  bidding  her  good-bye  ?  He  looked 


The  Cameron  Pride.  91 

as  if  he  thought  they  had  no  right  to  touch  her,  she  was 
so  much  their  superior,  just  because  she  had  married  him, 
and  he  even  hurried  her  away  before  Aunt  Betsy  had  time 
to  kiss  her.  And  yet  the  people  think  it  such  a  splendid 
match  for  Katy,  because  he  is  so  rich  and  generous.  Gave 
the  clergyman  fifty  dollars  and  the  sexton  five,  so  I 
heard;  but  that  does  not  help  him  with  me.  I  know  it'? 
wicked,  Morris,  but  I  find  myself  taking  real  comfort  in 
hating  Wilford  Cameron. 

*  That  is  wrong,  Helen,  all  wrong,"  and  Morris  tried  to 
reason  with  her;  but  his  arguments  this  time  were  not 
very  strong,  and  he  finally  said  to  her,  inadvertently, 
"  If  I  can  forgive  Wilford  Cameron  for  marrying  our  Katy, 
you  surely  ought  to  do  so,  for  he  has  hurt  me  the  most/' 

"  Yo \;,  Morris !  YOU,  YOU  !  "  Helen  kept  repeating,  stand 
ing  back  still  further  and  further  from  him,  while  strange, 
overwhelming  thoughts  passed  like  lightning  through  her 
mind  as  she  marked  the  pallid  face,  where  was  written 
since  the  morning  more  than  one  line  of  suffering,  and 
saw  in  the  brown  eyes  a  look  such  as  they  were  not  wont 
to  wear.  "  Morris,  tell  me — tell  me  truly — did  vou  love 
my  sister  Katy  ? "  and  with  an  impetuous  rush  Helen 
knelt  beside  him,  as,  laying  his  head  upon  the  table  he 
answered, 

"  Yes,  Helen.  God  forgive  me  if  it  were  wrong.  I  did 
love  your  sister  Katy,  and  love  her  yet,  and  that  is  the 
hardest  to  bear/' 

All  the  tender  pitying  woman  was  roused  in  Helen,  and 
like  a  sister  she  smoothed  the  locks  of  damp,  dark  hair, 
keeping  a  perfect  silence  as  the  strong  man,  no  longer  able 
to  bear  up,  wept  like  a  very  child.  For  a  time  Helen 
felt  as  if  bereft  of  reason,  while  earth  and  sky  seemed 
blended  in  one  wild  chaos  as  she  thought,  "  Oh,  why 
couldn't  it  have  been  ?  Why  didn't  you  tell  her  in  time  ?  '" 
and  at  last  she  said  to  him,  "  If  Katy  had  known  it !  Oh, 
Morris,  why  didn't  you  tell  her?  She  never  guessed  it, 
never!  If  she  had — if  she  had,"  Helen's  breath  came 
chokingly,  "I  am  very  sure— yes,  I  know  it  might  have 

"  Of  all  sad  words  of  tongue  or  pen, 
The  saddest  are  these — it  might  have  been." 


92  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Morris  involuntarily  thought  of  these  lines,  but  they 
only  mocked  his  sorrow  as  he  answered  Helen,  "  I  doubt 
if  you  are  right;  I  hope  you  are  not.  Katy  loved  me  as 
her  brother,  nothing  more,  I  am  confident.  Had  she 
waited  till  she  was  older,  God  only  knows  what  might  have 
been,  but  now  she  is  gone  and  our  Father  will  help  me 
to  bear,  will  help  us  both,  if  we  ask  him,  as  we  must." 

And  then,  as  only  he  could  do,  Morris  talked  with  Helen 
until  she  felt  her  hardness  towards  Wilford  giving  way, 
while  she  wondered  how  Morris  could  speak  so  kindly  of 
one  who  was  his  rival. 

"Not  of  myself  could  I  do  it,"  Morris  said;  "but  I 
trust  in  One  who  says  e  As  thy  day  shall  thy  strength  be/ 
and  He,  you  know,  never  fails." 

There  was  a  fresh  bond  of  sympathy  now  between 
Morris  and  Helen,  and  the  latter  needed  no  caution  against 
repeating  what  she  had  discovered.  The  secret  was  safe 
with  her,  and  by  dwelling  on  what  "  might  have  been  " 
she  forgot  to  think  so  much  of  what  was,  and  so  the  first 
days  after  Katy's  departure  were  more  tolerable  than  she 
had  thought  it  possible  for  them  to  be.  At  the  close  of 
the  fourth  there  came  a  short  note  from  Katy,  who  was 
still  in  Boston  at  the  Revere,  and  perfectly  happy,  she  said, 
going  into  ecstasies  over  her  husband,  the  best  in  the 
world,  and  certainly  the  most  generpus  and  indulgent. 
"  Such  beautiful  things  as  I  am  having  made/'  she  wrote, 
"  when  I  already  had  more  than  I  needed,  and  so  I  told 
him,  but  he  only  smiled  a  queer  kind  of  smile  as  he  said 
'  Very  true ;  you  do  not  need  them/  I  wonder  then  why 
he  gets  me  more.  Oh,  I  forgot  to  tell  you  how  much  I 
like  his  cousin,  Mrs.  Harvey,  who  boards  at  the  Revere, 
and  whom  Wilford  consults  about  my  dress.  I  am  some 
what  afraid  of  her,  too,  she  is  so  grand,  but  she  pet?  me 
a  great  deal  and  laughs  at  my  speeches.  Mr.  Ray  is 
here,  and  I  think  him  splendid. 

"By  the  way,  Helen,  I  heard  him  tell  Wilford  that 
you  had  one  of  the  best  shaped  heads  he  ever  saw,  and  that 
he  thought  you  decidedly  good  looking.  I  must  tell  you 
now  of  the  only  thing  which  troubles  me  in  the  least,  and 
I  shall  get  used  to  that,  I  suppose.  It  is  so  strange  Wil 
ford  never  told  me  a  word  until  she  came.  Think  of 


The  Cameron  Pride.  93 

little  Katy  Lennox  with  a  waiting-maid,  who  jabbers 
French  half  the  time,  for  she  speaks  that  language  as  well 
as  her  own,  having  been  abroad  with  the  family  once 
before.  That  is  why  they  sent  her  to  me;  they  knew  her 
services  would  be  invaluable  in  Paris.  Her  name  is  Esther, 
and  she  came  the  day  after  we  did,  and  brought  me  such 
a  beautiful  mantilla  from  Wilford's  mother,  and  the 
loveliest  dress.  Just  the  pattern  was  fifty  dollars,  she 
said. 

"  The  steamer  sails  in  three  days,  and  I  will  write  again 
before  that  time,  sending  it  by  Mr.  Ray,  who  is  to  stop 
over  one  train  at  Linwood.  Wilford  has  just  come  in,  and 
says  I  have  written  enough  for  now,  but  I  must  tell  you 
he  has  bought  me  a  diamond  pin  and  ear-rings,  which 
Esther,  who  knows  the  value  of  everything,  says  never 
cost  less  than  five  hundred  dollars. 

"Your  loving, 

KATY  CAMERON." 

"  Five  hundred  dollars ! "  and  Aunt  Betsy  held  up  her 
hands  in  horror,  while  Helen  sat  a  long  time  with  the 
letter  in  her  hand,  cogitating  upon  its  contents,  and  es 
pecially  upon  the  part  referring  to  herself,  and  what  Mark 
Ray  had  said  of  her. 

Every  human  heart  is  susceptible  of  flattery,  and  Helen's 
was  not  an  exception.  Still  with  her  ideas  of  city  men  she 
could  not  at  once  think  favorably  of  Mark  Ray,  just  for  a 
few  complimentary  words  which  might  or  might  not  have 
been  in  earnest,  and  ^she  found  herself  looking  forward 
with  nervous  dread  to  the  time  when  he  would  stop  at 
Linwood,  and  of  course  call  on  her,  as  he  would  bring  a 
letter  from  Katy. 

Very  sadly  to  the  inmates  of  the  farm-house  rose  the 
morning  of  the  day  when  Katy  was  to  sail,  and  as  if  they 
could  really  see  the  tall  masts  of  the  vessel  which  was  to 
bear  her  away,  the  eyes  of  the  whole  family  were  turned 
often  to  the  eastward  with  a  wistful,  anxious  gaze,  while 
on  their  lips  and  in  their  hearts  were  earnest  prayers  for 
the  safety  of  that  ship  and  the  precious  freight  'it  bore. 
But  hours,  however  sad,  will  wear  themselves  away,  and 
so  the  day  went  on,  succeeded  by  the  night,  until  that  too 


94  The  Cameron  Pride. 

had  passed  and  another  day  had  come,  the  second  of 
Katy's  ocean  life.  At  the  farm-house  the  work  was  all 
done  up,  and  Helen  in  her  neat  gingham  dress,  with  her 
bands  of  brown  hair  bound  about  her  head,  sat  sewing, 
when  she  was  startled  by  the  sound  of  wheels,  and  looking 
up  saw  the  boy  employed  to  carry  packages  from  the  ex 
press  office,  driving  to  their  door  with  a  trunk,  which  he 
said  had  come  that  morning  from  Boston. 

In  some  surprise  Helen  hastened  to  unlock  it  with  the 
key  which  she  found  appended  to  it.  The  trunk  was  full, 
and  over  the  whole  a  linen  towel  was  folded,  while  on  the 
top  of  that  lay  a  letter  in  Katy's  hand-writing,  directed 
to  Helen,  who,  sitting  down  upon  the  floor,  broke  the  seal 
and  read  aloud  as  follows: 

BOSTON,  JUNE — ,  Revere  House 
"  Nearly  midnight. 

"  MY  DEAR  SISTER  HELEN  : — I  have  just  come  in  from 
a  little  party  given  by  one  of  Mrs.  Harvey's  friends,  and 
I  am  so  tired,  for  you  know  I  am  not  accustomed  to  such 
late  hours.  The  party  was  very  pleasant  indeed,  and 
everybody  was  so  kind  to  me,  especially  Mr.  Kay,  who 
stood  by  me  all  the  time,  and  who  somehow  seemed  to 
help  me,  so  that  I  knew  just  what  to  do,  and  was  not  awk 
ward  at  all.  I  hope  not,  at  least  for  Wilford's  sake. 

"  You  do  not  know  how  grand  and*  dignified  he  is  here 
in  Boston  among  his  own  set ;  he  is  so  different  from  what 
he  was  in  Silverton  that  I  should  be  afraid  of  him  if  I 
did  not  know  how  much  he  loves  me.  He  shows  that  in 
every  action,  and  I  am  perfectly  happy,  except  when  I 
think  that  to-morrow  night  at  this  time  I  shall  be  on  the 
sea,  going  away  from  you  all.  Here  it  does  not  seem  far 
to  Silverton,  and  I  often  look  towards  home,  wondering 
what  you  are  doing,  and  if  you  miss  me  any.  I  wish 
I  could  see  you  once  before  I  go,  just  to  tell  you  all  how 
much  I  love  you — more  than  I  ever  did  before,  I  am  sure. 

"  And  now  I  come  to  the  trunk.  I  know  you  will  be 
surprised  at  its  contents,  but  you  cannot  be  more  so  than 
I  was  when  Wilford  said  I  must  pack  them  up  and  send 
them  back — all  the  dresses  you  and  Marion  made." 

"  No,  oh  no ! "  and  Helen  felt  her  strength  leave  her 


The  Cameron  Pride.  95 

wrists  in  one  sudden  throb  as  the  letter  dropped  from  her 
hand,  while  she  tore  off  the  linen  covering  and  saw  for 
herself  that  Katy  had  written  truly. 

She  could  not  weep  then,  but  her  face  was  white  as 
marble  as  she  again  took  up  the  letter  and  commenced  at 
the  point  where  she  had  broken  off. 

"  It  seems  that  people  traveling  in  Europe  do  not  need 
many  things,  but  what  they  have  must  be  just  right,  and 
so  Mrs.  Cameron  wrote  for  Mrs.  Harvey  to  see  to  my 
wardrobe,  and  if  I  had  not  exactly  what  was  proper  she 
was  to  procure  it.  It  is  very  funny  that  she  did  not  find 
a  single  proper  garment  among  them  all,  when  we  thought 
them  so  nice.  They  were  not  just  the  style,  she  said,  and 
that  was  very  desirable  in  Mrs.  Wilford  Gameron.  Some 
how  she  tries  to  impress  me  with  the  idea  that  Mrs.  Wil 
ford  Cameron  is  a  very  different  person  from  little  Katy 
Lennox,  but  I  can  see  no  difference  except  that  I  am  a  great 
deal  happier  and  have  Wilford  all  the  time. 

"  Well,  as  I  was  telling  you,  I  was  measured  and  fitted, 
and  my  figure  praised,  until  my  head  was  nearly  turned, 
only  I  did  not  like  the  horrid  stays  they  put  on  me, 
squeezing  me  up  and  making  me  feel  so  stiff.  Mrs.  Harvey 
says  no  lady  does  without  them,  expressing  much  surprise 
that  I  had  never  worn  them,  and  so  I  submit  to  the  powers 
that  be;  but  every  chance  I  get  here  in  my  room  I  take 
them  off  and  throw  them  on  the  floor,  where  Wilford  has 
stumbled  over  them  two  or  three  times. 

"  This  afternoon  the  dresses  came  home,  and  they  do 
look  beautifully,  while  every  one  has  belt,  and  gloves,  and 
ribbons,  and  sashes,  and  laces  or  muslins  to  match — fash 
ionable  people  are  so  particular  about  these  things.  I  have 
tried  them  on,  and  except  that  I  think  them  too  tight, 
they  fit  admirably,  and  do  give  me  a  different  air  from 
what  Miss  Hazelton's  did.  But  I  really  believe  I  like  the 
old  ones  best,  because  you  helped  to  make  them ;  and  when 
Wilford  said  I  must  send  them  home,  I  went  where  he 
could  not  see  me  and  cried,  because — well,  I  hardly  know 
why  I  cried,  unless  I  feared  you  might  feel  badly.  Dearest 
Helen,  don't,  will  you?  I  love  you  just  as  much,  and 
shall  remember  you  the  same  as  if  I  wore  the  dresses. 
Dearest  sister,  I  can  fancy  the  look  that  will  come  on  your 


96  The  Cameron  Pride. 

face,  and  I  wish  I  could  be  present  to  kiss  it  away.  Imag 
ine  me  there,  will  you?  with  my  arms  around  your  neck, 
and  tell  mother  not  to  mind.  Tell  her  I  never  loved  her 
so  well  as  now,  and  that  when  I  come  home  from  Europe 
I  shall  bring  her  ever  so  many  things.  There  is  a  new 
black  silk  for  her  in  the  trunk,  and  one  for  each  of  the 
aunties,  while  for  you  there  is  a  lovely  brown,  which  Wil- 
ford  said  was  just  your  style,  telling  me  to  select  as  nice 
a  silk  as  I  pleased,  and  this  he  did,  I  think,  because  he 
guessed  I  had  been  crying.  He  asked  what  made  my  eyes 
so  red,  and  when  I  would  not  tell  him  he  took  me  with 
him  to  the  silk  store  and  bade  me  get  what.  I  liked. 
Oh,  he  is  the  dearest,  •  kindest  husband,  and  I  love 
him  all  the  more  because  I  am  the  least  bit  afraid  of 
him. 

"  And  now  I  must  stop,  for  Wilford  says  so.  Dear 
Helen,  dear  all  of  you,  I  can't  help  crying  as  I  say  good 
bye.  Eemember  little  Katy,  and  if  she  ever  did  anything 
bad,  don't  lay  it  up  against  her.  Kiss  Morris  and  Uncle 
Ephraim,  and  say  how  much  I  love  them.  Darling  sister, 
darling  mother,  good-bye." 

This  was  Katy's  letter,  and  it  brought  a  gush  of  tears 
from  the  four  women  remembered  so  lovingly  in  it,  the 
mother  and  the  aunts  stealing  away  to  weep  in  secret, 
without  ever  stopping  to  look  at  the  new  dresses  sent  to 
them  by  Wilford  Cameron.  They  were  very  soft,  very 
handsome,  especially  Helen's  rich  golden  brown,  and  as 
she  looked  at  it  she  felt  a  thrill  of  satisfaction  in  knowing 
it  was  hers,  but  this  quickly  passed  as  she  took  out  one 
by  one  the  garments  she  had  folded  with  so  much  care, 
wondering  when  Katy  would  wear  each  one  and  where  she 
would  be. 

"  She  will  never  wear  them,  never — they  are  not  fine 
enough  for  her  now ! "  she  exclaimed,  and  as  she  just 
then  came  upon  the  little  plaid,  she  laid  her  head  upon 
the  trunk  lid,  while  her  tears  dropped  like  rain  in  among 
the  discarded  articles  condemned  by  Wilford  Cameron. 

It  seemed  to  her  like  Katy's  grave,  and  she  was  sobbing 
bitterly,  when  a  step  sounded  outside  the  window,  and 
a  voice  called  her  name.  It  was  Morris,  and  lifting  up 
her  head  Helen  said  passionately, 


The  Cameron  Pride.  97 

"  Oh,  Morris,  look !  he  has  sent  back  all  Katy's  clothes, 
which  you  bought  and  I  worked  so  hard  to  make.  They 
were  not  good  enough  for  his  wife  to  wear,  and  so  he  in 
sulted  us.  Oh,  Katy,  I  never  fully  realized  till  now  how 
wholly  she  is  lost  to  us ! " 

"  Helen,  Helen,"  Morris  kept  saying,  trying  to  stop  her, 
for  close  behind  him  was  Mark  Ray,  who  heard  her  dis 
tinctly,  and  glancing  in,  saw  her  kneeling  before  the 
trunk,  her  pale  face  stained  with  tears,  and  her  dark  eyes 
shining  with  excitement. 

Mark  Ray  understood  it  at  once,  feeling  indignant  at 
Wilford  for  thus  unnecessarily  wounding  the  sensitive  girl, 
whose  expression,  as  she  sat  there  upon  the  floor,  with  her 
face  upturned  to  Morris,  haunted  him  for  months.  Mark 
was  sorry  for  her — so  sorry  that  his  first  impulse  was  to  go 
quietly  away,  and  so  spare  her  the  mortification  of  know 
ing  that  he  had  witnessed  that  little  scene ;  but  it  was  now 
too  late.  As  she  finished  speaking  her  eye  fell  on  him,  and 
coloring  scarlet  she  struggled  to  her  feet,  and  covering 
her  face  with  her  hands  wept  still  more  violently.  Mark 
was  in  a  dilemma,  and  whispered  softly  to  Morris,  "  I 
think  I  will  leave.  You  can  tell  her  all  I  had  to  say ;  "  but 
Helen  heard  him,  and  mastering  her  agitation,  she  said 
to  him, 

"  Please,  Mr.  Ray,  don't  go — not  yet  at  least,  not  till 
I  have  asked  you  of  Katy.  Did  you  see  her  off?  Has 
she  gone  ?  " 

Thus  importuned  Mark  Ray  came  in,  and  sitting  down 
where  his  boot  almost  touched  the  new  brown  silk,  he 
very  politely  began  to  answer  her  rapid  questions,  putting 
her  entirely  at  her  ease  by  his  pleasant,  affable  manner, 
and  making  her  forget  the  littered  appearance  of  the  room, 
as  she  listened  to  his  praises  of  her  sister,  who,  he  said, 
seemed  so  very  happy,  and  attracted  universal  admiration 
wherever  she  went.  No  allusion  whatever  was  made  to 
the  trunk  during  the  time  of  Mark's  stay,  which  was  not 
long.  If  he  took  the  next  train  to  New  York,  he  had 
but  an  hour  more  to  spend,  and  feeling  that  Helen  would 
rather  he  should  spend  it  at  Linwood  he  soon  arose  to  go. 
Offering  his  hand  to  Helen,  there  passed  from  his  eyes 
into  hers  a  look  which  had  over  her  a  strangely  quieting 


98  The  Cameron  Pride. 

influence,  and  prepared  her  for  a  remark  which  otherwise 
might  have  seemed  out  of  place. 

"  I  have  known  Wilf ord  Cameron  for  years ;  he  is  my 
best  friend,  and  I  respect  him  as  a  brother.  In  some 
things  he  may  be  peculiar,  but  he  will  make  your  sister 
a  kind  husband.  He  loves  her  devotedly,  I  know,  choos 
ing  her  from  the  throng  of  ladies  who  would  gladly  have 
taken  her  place.  I  hope  you  will  like  him  for  my  sake  as 
well  as  Katy's." 

His  warm  hand  unclasped  from  Helen's,  and  with  an 
other  good-bye  he  was  gone,  without  seeing  either  Mrs. 
Lennox,  Aunt  Hannah  or  Aunt  Betsy.  This  was  not  the 
time  for  extending  his  acquaintance,  he  knew,  and  he 
went  away  with  Morris,  feeling  that  the  farm-house,  so 
far  as  he  could  judge,  was  not  exactly  what  Wilford  had 
pictured  it.  But  then  he  came  for  a  wife,  and  I  did 
not,"  he  thought,  while  Helen's  face  came  before  him  as  it 
looked  up  to  Morris,  and  he  wondered,  were  he  obliged  to 
choose  between  the  sisters,  which  he  should  prefer.  Dur 
ing  the  few  days  passed  in  Boston  he  had  become  more  than 
half  in  love  with  Katy  himself,  almost  envying  his  friend 
the  pretty  little  creature  he  had  won.  She  was  very 
beautiful  and  very  fascinating  in  her  simplicity,  but  there 
was  something  in  Helen's  face  more  attractive  than 
mere  beauty,  and  Mark  said  to  Mbrris  as  they  walked 
along,  ^ 

"  Miss  Lennox  is  not  much  like  her  sister." 

"  Not  much,  no ;  but  Helen  is  a  splendid  girl — more 
strength  of  character,  perhaps,  than  Katy,  who  is  younger 
than  her  years  even.  She  has  always  been  petted  from 
babyhood;  it  will  take  time  or  some  great  sorrow  to  show 
what  she  really  is." 

This  was  Morris's  reply,  and  the  two  then  proceeded  on 
in  silence  until  they  reached  the  boundary  line  between 
Morris's  farm  and  Uncle  Ephraim's,  where  they  found  the 
deacon  mending  a  bit  of  broken  fence,  his  coat  lying  on 
a  pile  of  stones,  and  his  wide,  blue  cotton  trowsers  hang 
ing  loosely  around  him.  When  told  who  Mark  was,  and 
that  he  brought  news  of  Katy,  he  greeted  him  cordially, 
and  sitting  down  upon  his  fence  listened  to  all  Mark  had 
to  say.  Between  the  old  and  young  man  there  seemed  at 


The  Cameron  Pride.  99 

once  a  mutual  liking,  the  former  saying  to  himself  as 
Mark  went  on,  and  he  resumed  his  work, 

"  I  most  wish  it  was  this  chap  with  Katy  on  the  sea. 
I  like  his  looks  the  best,"  while  Mark's  thoughts  were, 

"  Will  need  not  be  ashamed  of  that  man,  though  I  don't 
suppose  I  should  really  want  him  coming  suddenly  in 
among  a  drawing-room  full  of  guests." 

Morris  did  not  feel  much  like  entertaining  Mark,  but 
Mark  was  fully  competent  to  entertain  himself,  and 
thought  the  hour  spent  at  Linwood  a  very  pleasant  one, 
half  wishing  for  some  excuse  to  tarry  longer;  but  $iere 
was  none,  and  so  at  the  appointed  time  he  bade  Morris 
good-bye  and  went  on  his  way  to  New  York. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FIRST  MONTHS  OF  MARRIED  LIFE. 

IF  Katy's  letters,  written,  one  on  board  the  steamer  and 
another  from  London,  were  to  be  trusted,  she  was  as 
nearly  perfectly  happy  as  a  young  bride  well  can  be,  and 
the  people  at  the  farm-house  felt  themselves  more  and 
more  kindly  disposed  towards  Wilford  Cameron  with  each 
letter  received.  They  were  going  soon  into  the  northern 
part  of  England,  and  from  thence  into  Scotland,  Katy 
wrote  from  London,  and  two  weeks  after  found  them  com 
fortably  settled  at  the  inn  at  Alnwick,  near  to  Alnwick 
Castle.  Wilford  had  seemed  very  anxious  to  get  there, 
leaving  London  before  Katy  was  quite  ready,  and  hurrying 
across  the  country  until  Alnwick  was  reached.  He  had 
been  there  before,  years  ago,  he  said,  but  no  one  seemed 
to  recognize  him,  though  all  paid  due  respect  to  the  dis 
tinguished  looking  American  and  his  beautiful  young  wife. 
An  entrance  into  Alnwick  Castle  was  easily  obtained,  and 
Katy  felt  that  all  her  girlish  dreams  of  grandeur  and 
magnificence  were  more  than  realized  here  in  this  home  of 
the  Percys,  where  ancient  and  modern  styles  of  architec 
ture  and  furnishing  were  so  blended  together.  She  would 
never  tire  of  that  place,  she  thought,  but  Wilford's  taste 
led  him  elsewhere,  and  he  took  more  delight  in  wandering 
around  St.  Mary's  church,  which  stood  upon  a  hill  com 
manding  a  view  of  the  castle  and  of  the  surrounding 


ioo  The  Cameron  Pride. 

country  for  miles  away.  Here  Katy  also  came,  rambling 
with  him  through  the  village  grave-yard  where  slept  the 
dust  of  centuries,  the  grey,  mossy  tomb-stones  bearing 
date  backward  for  more  than  a  hundred  years,  their  quaint 
inscriptions  both  puzzling  and  amusing  Katy,  who  studied 
them  by  the  hour. 

One  quiet  summer  morning,  however,  when  the  heat 
was  unusually  great,  she  felt  too  listless  to  wander  about, 
and  so  sat  upon  the  grass,  listening  to  the  birds  as  they 
sang  above  her  head,  while  Wilford,  at  some  distance  from 
her,  stood  leaning  against  a  tree  and  thinking  sad,  re 
gretful  thoughts,  as  his  eye  rested  upon  the  rough  head 
stone  at  his  feet. 

"  Genevra  Lambert,  aged  22,"  was  the  lettering  upon 
it,  and  as  he  read  it  a  feeling  of  reproach  was  in  his 
heart,  while  he  said,  "  I  hope  I  am  not  glad  to  know  that 
she  is  dead." 

He  had  come  to  Alnwick  for  the  sole  purpose  of  finding 
that  humble  grave — of  assuring  himself  that  after  life's 
fitful  fever,  Genevra  Lambert  slept  quietly,  forgetful  of 
the  wrong  once  done  to  her  by  him.  It  is  true  he  had  not 
doubted  her  death  before,  but  as  seeing  was  believing,  so 
now  he  felt  sure  of  it,  and  plucking  from  the  turf  above 
her  a  little  flower  growing  there,  he  went  back  to  Katy 
and  sitting  down  beside  her  with  his  arm  around  her 
waist,  tried  to  devise  some  way  of  telling  her  what  he  had 
promised  himself  he  would  tell  her  there  in  that  very 
yard,  where  Genevra  was  buried.  But  the  task  was  harder 
now  than  before.  Katy  was  so  happy  with  him,  trusting 
his  love  so  fully  that  he  dared  not  lift  the  veil  and  read  to 
her  that  page  hinted  at  once  in  Silverton,  when  they  sat 
beneath  the  butternut  tree,  with  the  fresh  young  grass 
springing  around  them.  Then  she  was  not  his  wife,  and 
the  fear  that  she  would  not  be  if  he  told  her  all  had  kept 
him  silent,  but  now  she  was  his  alone;  nothing  could  undo 
that,  and  there,  in  the  shadow  of  the  grey  old  church 
through  whose  aisles  Genevra  had  been  borne  out  to  where 
the  rude  headstone  was  gleaming  in  the  English  sunlight, 
it  seemed  meet  that  he  should  tell  the  sad  story.  And  Katy 
would  have  forgiven  him  then,  for  not  a  shadow  of  regret 
had  darkened  her  life  since  it  was  linked  with  his,  and  in 


The  Cameron  Pride.  101 


her  perfect  love  she  could  have  pardoned  •iA1^c;"i.^  But  \Vik 
ford  did  not  tell.  It  was  not  needful,  be  niade^  himself 
believe  —  not  necessary  for  her  ever  to  /knew  kbai  fctuje;bf 
met  a  maiden  called  Genevra,  almost  as  beautiful  as  'she, 
but  never  so  beloved.  No,  never.  Wilford  said  that  truly, 
when  that  night  he  bent  over  his  sleeping  Katy,  compar 
ing  her  face  with  Genevra's,  and  his  love  for  her  with  his 
love  for  Genevra. 

Wilford  was  very  fond  of  his  girlish  wife,  and  very 
proud  of  her,  too,  when  strangers  paused,  as  they  often  did, 
to  look  back  after  her.  Thus  far  nothing  had  arisen  to 
mar  the  happiness  of  his  first  weeks  of  married  life,  except 
the  letters  from  Silverton,  over  which  Katy  always  cried, 
until  he  sometimes  wished  that  the  family  could  not  write. 
But  they  could  and  they  did;  even  Aunt  Betsy  inclosed  in 
Helen's  letter  a  note,  wonderful  both  in  orthography  and 
composition,  and  concluding  with  the  remark  that  "  she 
would  be  glad  when  Catherine  returned  and  was  settled 
in  a  home  of  her  own,  as  she  would  then  have  a  new 
place  to  visit." 

There  was  a  dark  frown  on  Wilford's  face,  and  for  a  mo 
ment  he  felt  tempted  to  withhold  the  note  from  Katy,  but 
this  he  could  not  do  then,  so  he  gave  it  into  her  hands, 
watching  her  as  with  burning  cheeks,  she  read  it  through, 
and  asking  her  at  its  close  why  she  looked  so  red. 

"  Oh,  Wilford,''  and  she  crept  closely  to  him,  "  Aunt 
Betsy  spells  so  queerly,  that  I  was  wishing  you  would  not 
always  open  my  letters  first.  Do  all  husbands  do  so  ?  " 

It  was  the  only  time  Katy  had  ventured  to  question  a 
single  act  of  his,  submitting  without  a  word  to  whatever 
was  his  will.  Wilford  knew  that  his  father  would  never 
have  presumed  to  break  a  seal  belonging  to  his  mother, 
but  he  had  broken  Katy's,  and  he  should  continue  break 
ing  them,  so  he  answered,  laughingly, 

"  Why,  yes,  I  guess  they  do.  My  little  wife  has  surely 
no  secrets  to  hide  from  me  ?  " 

"No  secrets,"  Katy  answered,  "only  I  did  not  want 
you  to  see  Aunt  Betsy's  letter,  that's  all." 

"  I  did  not  marry  Aunt  Betsy  —  I  married  you,"  was 
Wilford's  reply,  which  meant  far  more  than  Katy  guessed. 

With  three  thousand  miles  between  him  and  his  wife's 


102  The  Cameron  Pride. 

relatives,  Wilfor.d  sould  endure  to  think  of  them ;  but  when 
ever  letters  came  to  £aty  bearing  the  Silverton  postmark, 
he  was  conscious  of  a  far  different  sensation  from  what  be 
experienced  when  the  postmark  was  New  York  and  the 
handwriting  that  of  his  own  family.  But  not  in  any  way 
did  this  feeling  manifest  itself  to  Katy,  who,  as  she  always 
wrote  to  Helen,  was  very,  very  happy,  and  never  more 
so,  perhaps,  than  while  they  were  at  Alnwick,  where,  as 
if  he  had  something  for  which  to  atone,  he  was  unusually 
kind  and  indulgent,  caressing  her  with  unwonted  tender 
ness,  and  making  her  ask  him  once  if  he  loved  her  a  great 
deal  more  now  than  when  they  were  first  married. 

"  Yes,  darling,  a  great  deal  more/'  was  Wilford's  answer, 
as  he  kissed  her  upturned  face,  and  then  went  for  the 
last  time  to  Genevra's  grave ;  for  on  the  morrow  they  were 
to  leave  the  neighborhood  of  Alnwick  for  the  heather 
blooms  of  Scotland. 

There  was  a  trip  to  Edinburgh,  a  stormy  passage  across 
the  Straits  of  Dover,  a  two  months'  sojourn  in  Paris,  and 
then  they  went  to  Rome,  where  Wilford  intended  to  pass 
the  winter,  journeying  in  the  spring  through  different  parts 
of  Europe.  He  was  in  no  haste  to  return  to  America; 
he  would  rather  stay  where  he  could  have  Katy  all  to  him 
self,  away  from  her  family  and  his  own.  But  it  was  not 
so  to  be,  and  not  very  long  after*  his  arrival  at  Rome 
there  came  a  letter  from  his  mother  apprising  him  of  his 
father's  dangerous  illness,  and  asking  him  to  come  home  at 
once.  The  elder  Cameron  had  not  been  well  since  Wil 
ford  left  the  country,  and  the  physician  was  fearful  that 
the  disease  had  assumed  a  consumptive  form,  Mrs.  Cam 
eron  wrote,  adding  that  her  husband's  only  anxiety  was 
to  see  his  son  again.  To  this  there  was  no  demur,  and 
about  the  first  of  December,  six  months  from  the  time 
he  had  sailed,  Wilford  arrived  in  Boston,  having  taken  a 
steamer  for  that  city.  His  first  act  was  to  telegraph  for 
news  of  his  father,  receiving  in  reply  that  he  was  better; 
the  alarming  symptoms  had  disappeared,  and  there  was 
now  great  hope  of  his  recovery. 

"  We  might  have  stayed  longer  in  Europe,"  Katy  said, 
feeling  a  little  chill  of  disappointment — not  that  her 
father-in-law  was  better,  but  at  being  called  home  for 


The  Cameron  Pride.  103 

nothing,  when  her  life  abroad  was  so  happy  and  free  from 
care. 

Somehow  the  atmosphere  of  America  seemed  different 
from  what  it  used  to  be.  It  was  colder,  bluer,  the  little 
lady  said,  tapping  her  foot  uneasily  and  looking  from  her 
windows  at  the  Revere  out  upon  the  snowy  streets,  through 
which  the  wintry  wind  was  blowing  in  heavy  gales. 

"  Yes,  it  is  a  heap  colder,"'  she  siged,  as  she  returned 
to  the  large  chair  which  Esther  had  drawn  for  her  be 
fore  the  cheerful  fire,  charging  her  disquiet  to  the  weather, 
but  never  dreaming  of  imputing  it  to  her  husband,  who 
was  far  more  its  cause  than  was  the  December  cold. 

He,  too,  though  glad  of  his  father's  improvement,  was 
sorry  to  have  been  recalled  for  nothing  to  a  country  which 
brought  his  old  life  back  again,  with  all  its  forms  and 
ceremonies,  and  revived  his  dread  lest  Katy  should  not 
acquit  herself  as  was  becoming  Mrs.  Wilford  Cameron. 
In  his  selfishness  he  had  kept  her  almost  wholly  to  him 
self,  so  that  the  polish  she  was  to  acquire  from  her  travels 
abroad  was  not  as  perceptible  as  he  could  desire.  Katy 
was  Katy  still,  in  spite  of  London,  Paris,  or  Rome.  To 
be  sure  there  was  about  her  a  little  more  maturity  and 
self-assurance,  but  in  all  essential  points  she  was  the  same : 
and  Wilford  winced  as  he  thought  how  the  free,  impulsive 
manner  which,  among  the  Scottish  hills,  where  there  was 
no  one  to  criticize,  had  been  so  charming  to  him,  would 
shock  his  lady  mother  and  sister  Juno.  And  this  it  was 
which  made  him  moody  and  silent,  replying  hastily  to 
Katy  when  she  said  to  him,  "  Please,  Wilford,  telegraph 
to  Helen  to  be  with  mother  at  the  West  depot  when  we 
pass  there  to-morrow.  The  train  stops  five  minutes,  you 
know,  and  I  want  to  see  them  so  much.  Will  you,  Wil 
ford?" 

She  had  come  up  to  him  now,  and  was  standing  behind 
him,  with  her  hands  upon  his  shoulder ;  so  she  did  not  see 
the  expression  of  his  face  as  he  answered  quickly. 

"  Yes,  yes." 

A  moment  after  he  quitted  the  room  ,and  it  was  then 
that  Katy,  standing  before  the  window,  charged  the  day 
with  what  was  strictly  Wilford's  fault.  Returning  at  last 
to  her  chair  she  went  off  into  a  reverie  as  to  the  new 


IO4  The  Cameron  Pride. 

home  to  which  she  was  going  and  the  new  friends  she  was 
to  meet,  wondering  what  they  would  think  of  her,  and  if 
they  would  like  her.    Once  she  had  said  to  Wilford, 
"  Which  of  your  sisters  shall  I  like  best  ?  " 
And  Wilford  had  answered  her  by  asking, 
"  Which  do  you  like  best,  books  or  going  to  parties  in 
full  dress?" 

"  Oh,  parties  and  dress,"  Katy  had  said,  and  Wilford 
had  then  rejoined, 

"  You  will  like  Juno  best,  for  she  is  all  fashion  and 
gayety,  while  Blue-Bell  prefers  her  books  and  the  quiet 
of  her  own  room." 

Katy  felt  afraid  of  Bell,  and  in  fact,  now  that  they 
were  so  near,  she  felt  afraid  of  them  all,  notwithstanding 
Esther's  assurances  that  they  could  not  help  loving  her. 
During  the  six  months  they  had  been  together  Esther  had 
learned  to  feel  for  her  young  lady  that  strong  affection 
which  sometimes  exists  between  mistress  and  servant. 
Everything  which  she  could  do  for  her  she  did,  smoothing 
as  much  as  possible  the  meeting  which  she  also  dreaded, 
for  though  the  Camerons  were  too  proud  to  express  before 
her  their  opinion  of  Wilford's  choice,  she  had  guessed  it 
readily,  and  pitied  the  young  wife  brought  up  with  ideas 
so  different  from  those  of  her  husband's  family.  More 
accustomed  to  Wilford's  moods  thai!  Katy,  she  saw  that 
something  was  the  matter,  and  it  prompted  her  to  unusual 
attentions,  stirring  the  fire  into  a  cheerful  blaze  and  bring-, 
ing  a  stool  for  Katy,  who,  in  blissful  ignorance  of  her 
husband's  real  feelings,  sat  waiting  his  return  from  the 
telegraph  office  whither  she  supposed  he  had  gone,  and 
building  pleasant  pictures  of  to-morrow's  meeting  with  her 
mother  and  Helen,  and  possibly  Dr.  Morris,  if  not  Uncle 
Ephraim  himself. 

So   absorbed   was    she   in   her   reverie   as   not   to   hear 
Wilford's  step  as  he  came  in,  but  when  he  stood  behind 
her  and  took  her  head  playfully  between  his  hands,  she 
started  up,  feeling  that  the  weather  had  changed;  it  was 
not  as  cold  and  dreary  in  Boston  as  she  imagined,  and 
laying  her  head  on  Wilford's  shoulder,  she  said, 
"  You  went  out  to  telegraph,  didn't  you  ?  " 
He  had  gone  out  with  the  intention  of  telegraphing  as 


The  Cameron  Pride.  105 

she  desired,  but  in  the  hall  below  he  had  met  with  an 
old  acquaintance  who  talked  with  him  so  long  that  he 
entirely  forgot  his  errand  until  Katy  recalled  it  to  his 
mind,  making  him  feel  very  uncomfortable  as  he  frankly 
told  her  of  his  forgetfulness. 

"  It  is  too  late  now/'  he  added,  "  besides  you  could 
only  see  them  for  a  moment,  just  long  enough  to  make 
you  cry — a  thirp-  T  do  not  greatly  desire,  inasmuch  as  I 
wish  my  wife  to  look  her  best  when  I  present  her  to  my 
family,  and  with  red  eyes  she  couldn't,  you  know.'* 

Katy  knew  it  was  settled,  and  choking  back  the  tears, 
she  tried  to  listen,  while  Wilford,  having  fairly  broken 
the  ice  with  regard  to  his  family,  told  her  how  anxious 
he  was  that  she  should  make  a  good  first  impression 
upon  his  mother.  Did  Katy  remember  that  Mrs.  Morey 
whom  they  met  at  Paris,  and  could  she  not  throw  a  little 
of  tier  air  into  her  manner,  that  is,  could  she  not  drop 
her  girlishness  when  in  the  presence  of  others  and  be  a 
little  more  dignified?  When  alone  with  him  he  liked  to 
have  her  just  what  she  was,  a  loving,  affectionate  little 
wife,  but  the  world  looked  on  such  things  differently. 
Would  Katy  try? 

Wilford  when  he  commenced  had  no  definite  idea  as 
to  what  he  should  say,  and  without  meaning  it  he  made 
Katy  moan  piteously. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean.  I  would  do  anything 
if  I  knew  how.  Tell  me,  how  shall  I  be  dignified?" 

She  was  crying  so  hard  that  Wilford,  while  mentally 
calling  himself  a  fool  and  a  brute,  could  only  try  to  com 
fort  her,  telling  her  she  need  not  be  anything  but  what 
she  was — that  his  mother  and  sisters  would  love  her  just 
as  he  did — and  that  daily  association  with  them  would 
teach  her  all  that  was  necessary. 

Katy's  tears  were  stopped  at  last;  but  the  frightened, 
anxious  look  did  not  leave  her  face,  even  though  WTilford 
tried  his  best  to  divert  her  mind.  A  nervous  terror  of 
her  new  relations  had  gained  possession  of  her  heart, 
and  nearly  the  entire  night  she  lay  awake,  pondering  in 
her  mind  what  Wilford  had  said,  and  thinking  how  ter 
rible  it  would  be  if  he  should  be  disappointed  in  her 
after  all.  The  consequence  of  this  was  that  a  very  white 


106  The  Cameron  Pride. 

tired  face  sat  opposite  Wilford  next  morning  at  the  break 
fast  served  in  their  private  parlor;  nor  did  it  look  much 
fresher  even  after  they  were  in  the  cars  and  rolling  out  of 
Boston.  But  when  Worcester  was  reached,  and  the  old 
home  way-marks  began  to  grow  familiar,  the  color  came 
stealing  back,  until  the  cheeks  burned  with  an  unnatural 
red,  and  the  blue  eyes  fairly  danced  as  they  rested  on  the 
hills  of  Silverton. 

"  Only  three  miles  from  mother  and  Helen !  Oh,  if  I 
could  go  there !  "  Katy  thought,  working  her  fingers  nerv 
ously;  but  the  express  train  did  not  pause  there,  and  it 
went  so  swiftly  by  the  depot  that  Katy  could  hardly  distin 
guish  who  was  standing  there,  whether  friend  or  stranger. 

But  when  at  last  they  came  to  West  Silverton,  and  the 
long  train  slowly  stopped,  the  first  object  she  saw  was 
Dr.  Morris,  driving  down  from  the  village.  He  had  no 
intention  of  going  to  the  depot,  and  only  checked  his 
horse  a  moment,  lest  it  should  prove  restive  if  too  near 
the  engine;  but  when  a  clear  young  voice  called  from  the 
window,  "  Morris !  oh,  Cousin  Morris !  I've  come ! "  his 
heart  gave  a  great  throb,  for  he  knew  whose  voice  it  was 
and  whose  the  lit  lie  hand  beckoning  to  him.  He  had 
supposed  her  far  away  beneath  Italian  skies,  for  at  the 
farm-house  no  intelligence  had  been  received  of  her  in 
tended  return,  and  in  much  surprise  he  reined  up  to  the 
rear-door,  and  throwing  his  lines  to  a  boy,  went  forward 
to'  where  Katy  stood,  her  face  glowing  with  delight  as 
she  flew  into  his  arms,  wholly  forgetful  of  the  last  night's 
lecture  on  dignity,  and  also  forgetful  of  Wilford,  stand 
ing  close  beside  her.  He  had  not  tried  to  hold  her  back 
when,  at  the  sight  of  Morris,  she  sprang  away  from  him; 
but  he  followed  after,  biting  his  lip,  and  wishing  she  had 
a  little  more  discretion.  Surely  it  was  not  necessary  to 
naif  strangle  Dr.  Grant  as  she  was  doing,  kissing  his 
hand  after  she  had  kissed  his  fao#  a  full  half  dozen  times, 
and  all  the  people  looking  on.  But  Katy  did  not  care 
for  people.  She  only  knew  that  Morris  was  there — the 
Morris  whom,  in  her  great  happiness  abroad,  she  had 
perhaps  slighted  by  not  writing  directly  to  him  but  once. 
In  Wilford's  sheltering  care  she  had  not  felt  the  need  of 
this  good  cousin,  as  she  used  to  do;  but  she  was  so  glad 


The  Cameron  Pride.  107 

to  see  him,  wondering  why  he  looked  so  thin  and  sad. 
Was  he  sick?  she  asked,  with  a  pitying  look,  which  made 
him  shiver  as  he  answered, 

"  No,  not  sick,  though  tired,  perhaps,  as  I  have  at 
present  an  unusual  amount  of  work  to  do." 

And  this  was  true — he  was  unusually  busy.  But  that 
was  not  the  cause  of  his  thin  face,  which  others  thar 
Katy  remarked.  Helen's  words,  "  It  might  have  been/ 
spoken  to  him  on  the  night  of  Katy's  bridal,  had  never  left 
his  mind,  much  as  he  had  tried  to  dislodge  them.  Some 
men  can  love  a  dozen  times ;  but  it  was  not  so  with  Morris. 
He  could  overcome  his  love  so  that  it  should  not  be  a  sin, 
but  no  other  could  ever  fill  the  place  where  Katy  had  been ; 
and  as  he  looked  along  the  road  through  life  he  felt  that 
he  must  travel  it  alone.  Truly,  if  Katy  were  not  yet 
passing  through  the  fire,  he  was,  and  it  had  left  its  mark 
upon  him,  purifying  as  it  burned,  and  bringing  his  every 
act  into  closer  submission  to  his  God.  Only  Helen  and 
Marian  Hazelton  interpreted  aright  that  look  upon  his 
face,  and  knew  it  came  from  the  hunger  of  his  heart,  but 
they  kept  silence;  while  others  said  that  he  was  working 
far  too  hard,  urging  him  to  abate  his  unwearied  labors, 
for  they  would  not  lose  their  young  physician  yet.  But 
Morris  smiled  his  patient,  kindly  smile  on  all  their  fears 
and  went  his  way,  doing  his  work  as  one  who  knew  he  must 
render  strict  account  for  the  popularity  he  was  daily 
gaining,  both  in  his  own  town  and  those  around.  He 
could  think  of  Katy  now  without  a  sin,  but  he  was  not 
thinking  of  her  when  she  came  so  unexpectedly  upon  him, 
and  for  an  instant  she  almost  bore  his  breath  away  in  her 
vehement  joy. 

Quick  to  note  a  change  in  those  he  knew,  he  saw  that 
her  form  was  not  quite  so  full,  nor  her  cheeks  so  round; 
but  she  was  weary  with  the  voyage,  and  knowing  how 
sea-sickness  will  wear  upon  one's  strength,  Morris  im 
puted  it  wholly  to  that,  and  believed  she  was,  as  she 
professed  to  be,  perfectly  happy. 

"  Come,  Katy,  we  must  go  now,"  Wilford  said,  as  the 
bell  rang  its  first  alarm,  and  the  passengers,  some  with 
sandwiches  and  some  with  fried  cakes  in  their  hands,  ran 
back  to  find  their  seats. 


io8  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"  Yes,  I  know,  but  I  have  not  asked  half  I  meant  to. 
Oh,  how  I  want  to  go  home  with  you,  Morris,"  Katy  ex 
claimed,  again  throwing  her  arms  around  the  doctor's 
neck  as  she  bade  him  good  bye,  and  sent  fresh  messages 
of  love  to  the  friends  at  home,  who,  had  they  known  she 
was  to  be  there  at  that  time,  would  have  walked  the 
entire  distance  for  the  sake  of  looking  once  more  into 
her  dear  face. 

"  I  intended  to  have  brought  them  heaps  of  things," 
she  said,  "  but  we  came  home  so  suddenly  I  had  no  time. 
Here,  take  Helen  this.  Tell  her  it  is  real,"  and  the 
impulsive  creature  drew  from  her  finger  a  small  dia 
mond  set  in  black  enamel,  which  Wilford  had  bought  in 
Paris. 

"  She  did  not  need  it ;  she  had  two  more,  and  she  was 
sure  Wilford  would  not  mind,"  she  said,  turning  to  him 
for  his  approbation. 

But  Wilford  did  mind,  and  his  face  indicated  as  much, 
although  he  tried  to  be  natural  as  he  replied,  "  Certainly, 
send  it  if  you  like." 

In  her  excitement  Katy  did  not  observe  it,  but  Morris 
did,  and  he  at  first  declined  taking  it,  saying  Helen  had 
no  use  for  it,  and  would  be  better  pleased  with  something 
not  half  as  valuable.  Katy,  however*,  insisted,  appealing 
to  Wilford,  who,  ashamed  of  his  first  emotion,  now  seemed 
quite  as  anxious  as  Katy  herself,  until  Morris  placed 
the  ring  in  his  purse,  and  then  bade  Katy  hasten  or  she 
would  certainly  be  left.  One  more  wave  of  the  hand, 
one  more  kiss  thrown  from  the  window,  and  the  train 
moved  on,  Katy  feeling  like  a  different  creature  for  having 
seen  some  one  from  home. 

"  I  am  so  glad  I  saw  him — so  glad  I  sent  the  ring,  for 
now  they  will  know  I  am  the  same  Katy  Lennox,  and 
I  think  Helen  sometimes  feared  I  might  get  proud  with 
you,"  she  said,  while  Wilford  pulled  her  rich  fur  around 
her,  smiling  to  see  how  bright  and  pretty  she  was  lodk- 
ing  since  that  meeting  with  Dr.  Grant.  "  It  was  better 
than  medicine,"  Katy  said,  when  beyond  Springfield  he 
referred  to  it  a  second  time,  and  leaning  her  head  upon 
his  shoulder  she  fell  into  a  refreshing  sleep,  from  which 
she  did  not  waken  until  New  York  was  reached,  and  Wil- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  109 

ford,  lifting  her  gently  up,  whispered  to  her,  "  Come, 
darlingj  we  are  home  at  last." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
KATY'S  FIRST  EVENING  IN  NEW  YORK. 

THE  elder  Cameron  was  really  better,  and  more  than 
•nee  he  had  regretted  recalling  his  son,  who  he  knew  had 
contemplated  a  longer  stay  abroad.  But  that  could  not 
now  be  helped.  Wilford  had  arrived  in  Boston,  as  his 
telegram  of  yesterday  announced — he  would  be  at  home  to 
day;  and  No. — Fifth  Avenue  was  all  the  morning  and  a 
portion  of  the  afternoon  the  scene  of  unusual  excitement, 
for  both  Mrs.  Cameron  and  her  daughters  wished  to  give 
the  six  months'  wife  a  good  impression  of  her  new 
home.  At  first  they  thought  of  inviting  company  to 
dinner,  but  to  this  the  father  objected.  "  Katy  should 
not  be  troubled  the  first  day,"  he  said ;  "  it  was  bad 
enough  for  her  to  meet  them  all;  they  could  ask  Mark  if 
they  chose,  but  no  one  else." 

And  so  only  Mark  Ray  was  invited  to  the  dinner,  got 
ten  up  as  elaborately  as  if  a  princess  had  been  expected 
instead  of  little  Katy,  trembling  in  every  joint  when, 
about  four  P.  M.,  Wilford  awoke  her  at  the  depot  and 
whispered,  "  Come,  darling,  we  are  home  at  last." 

"  Why  do  you  shiver  so  ? "  he  asked,  wrapping  her 
cloak  around  her,  and  almost  lifting  her  from  the  car. 

"  I  don't — know.  I  guess — I'm  cold,"  and  Katy  drew 
a  long  breath  as  she  thought  of  Silverton  and  the  farm 
house,  wishing  that  she  was  going  into  its  low-walled 
kitchen,  instead  of  the  handsome  carriage,  where  the 
cushions  were  so  soft  and  yielding,  and  the  whole  effect 
so  grand. 

"  What  would  our  folks  say  ? "  she  kept  repeating  to 
herself  as  she  drove  along  the  streets,  where  they  were 
beginning  to  light  the  street  lamps,  for  the  December 
day  was  dark  and  cloudy.  It  seemed  so  like  a  dream, 
that  she,  who  once  had  picked  huckleberries  on  the  Sil 
verton  hills,  and  bound  coarse  heavy  shoes  to  buy  her 
self  a  pink  gingham  dress,  should  now  be  riding  in  her 


no  The  Cameron  Pride. 

carriage  toward  the  home  which  she  knew  was  magnifi 
cent;  and  Katy's  tears  fell  like  rain  as,  nestling  close  to 
Wilford,  who  asked  what  was  the  matter,  she  whispered, 
"  I  can  hardly  believe  that  it  is  I — it  is  so  unreal." 

"  Please  don't  cry,"  Wilford  rejoined,  brushing  her 
tears  away.  "  You  know  I  don't  like  your  eyes  to  be 
red/' 

With  a  great  effort  Katy  kept  her  tears  back,  and  was 
v^ery  calm  when  they  reached  the  brown-stone  front,  far 
enough  up  town  to  save  it  from  the  slightest  approach 
to  plebeianism.  In  the  hall  the  chandelier  was  burning, 
and  as  the  carriage  stopped  a  flame  of  light  seemed  sud 
denly  to  burst  from  every  window  as  the  gas  heads  were 
turned  up,  so  that  Katy  caught  glimpses  of  rich  silken  cur 
tains  and  costly  lace  as  she  went  up  the  steps,  clinging 
to  Wilford  and  looking  ruefully  around  for  Esther,  who 
had  disappeared  through  the  basement  door.  Another 
moment  and  they  stood  within  the  marbled  hall,  Katy 
conscious  of  nothing  definite — nothing  but  a  vague  at 
mosphere  of  refined  elegance,  and  that  a  richly-dressed 
lady  came  out  to  meet  them,  kissing  Wilford  quietly  and 
calling  him  her  son;  that  the  same  lady  turned  to  her 
saying  kindly,  "And  this  is  my  new  daughter?" 

Then  Katy  came  to  life,  and  did  that,  at  the  very 
thought  of  which  she  shuddered  when  a  few  months'  ex 
perience  had  taught  her  the  temerity  of  the  act — she 
wound  her  arms  impulsively  around  Mrs.  Cameron's  neck, 
rumpling  her  point  lace  collar,  and  sadly  displacing  the 
coiffure  of  the  astonished  lady,  who  had  seldom  received 
so  genuine  a  greeting  as  that  which  Katy  gave  her,  kiss 
ing  her  lips  and  whispering  softly,  "I  love  you  now,  be 
cause  you  are  Wilford's  mother,  but  by  and  by  because 
you  are  mine.  And  you  will  love  me  some  because  I  am 
Ms  wife." 

Wilford  was  horrified,  particularly  when  he  saw  how 
startled  his  mother  looked  as  she  tried  to  release  herself 
and  adjust  her  tumbled  head-gear.  It  was  not  what  he 
had  hoped,  nor  what  his  mother  had  expected,  for  she 
was  unaccustomed  to  such  demonstrations;  but  under 
the  circumstances  Katy  could  not  have  done  better.  There 
was  a  tender  spot  in  Mrs.  Cameron's  heart,  and  Katy 


The  Cameron  Pride.  in 

touched  it,  making  her  feel  a  throb  of  affection  for  the 
childish  creature  suing  for  her  love. 

"  Yes,  darling,  I  love  you  now/'  she  said,  removing 
Katy's  clinging  arms  and  taking  care  that  they  should 
not  enfold  her  a  second  time.  "  You  are  tired  and  cold/' 
she  continued ;  "  and  had  better  go  at  once  to  your  rooms. 
I  will  send  Esther  up.  There  is  plenty  of  time  to  dress 
for  dinner/'  and  with  a  wave  of  her  hand  she  dismissed 
Katy  up  the  stairs,  noticing  as  she  went  the  exquisite 
softness  of  her  fur  cloak;  but  thinking  it  too  heavy  a 
garment  for  her  slight  figure,  and  noticing,  too,  the  grace 
ful  ankle  and  foot  which  the  little  high-heeled  gaiter 
showed  to  good  advantage.  "  I  did  not  see  her  face 
distinctly,  but  she  has  a  well-turned  instep  and  walks 
easily/'  was  the  report  she  carried  to  her  daughters, 
who,  in  their  own  room  over  Katy's,  were  dressing  for 
dinner. 

"  She  will  undoubtedly  make  a  good  dancer,  then,  un 
less,  like  Dr.  Grant,  she  is  too  blue  for  that,"  Juno  said, 
while  Bell  shrugged  her  shoulders,  congratulating  her 
self  that  she  had  a  mind  above  such  frivolous  matters  as 
dancing  and  well-turned  insteps,  and  wondering  if  Katy 
cared  in  the  least  for  books. 

"  Couldn't  you  see  her  face  at  all,  mother  ? "  Juno 
asked. 

"  Scarcely ;  but  the  glimpse  I  did  get  was  satisfactory. 
I  think  she  is  pretty." 

And  this  was  all  the  sisters  could  ascertain  until  their 
toilets  were  finished,  and  they  went  down  into  the  library, 
where  their  brother  waited  for  them,  kissing  them  both 
affectionately,  and  complimenting  them  on  their  good  looks. 

"  I  wish  we  could  say  the  same  of  you,"  Juno  answered, 
playfully  pulling  his  moustache;  "but  upon  my  word, 
Will,  you  are  fast  settling  down  into  an  oldish  married 
man,  even  turning  gray,"'  and  she  ran  her  fingers  through 
his  dark  hair,  where  there  was  now  and  then  a  thread  of 
silver.  "  Disappointed  in  your  domestic  relations,  eh  ?  " 
she  continued,  looking  him  archly  in  the  face. 

Wilford  was  rather  proud  of  his  good  looks,  and  during 
his  sojourn  aboard,  Katy  had  not  helped  him  any  in  over 
coming  this  weakness,  but  on  the  contrary,  had  fed  his 


112  The  Cameron  Pride. 

vanity  by  constant  flattery.  And  still  he  was  himself  con 
scious  of  not  looking  quite  as  well  as  usual  just  now,  for 
the  sea  voyage  had  tired  him  as  well  as  Katy,  but  he  did 
not  care  to  be  told  of  it,  and  Juno's  ill-timed  remarks 
roused  him  at  once,  particularly  as  they  reflected  some 
what  on  Katy. 

"  I  assure  you  I  am  not  disappointed/'  he  answered, 
"  and  the  six  months  of  my  married  life  have  been  the  hap 
piest  I  ever  knew.  Katy  is  more  than  I  expected  her  to 
be." 

Juno  elevated  her  eyebrows  slightly,  but  made  no  direct 
reply,  while  Bell  began  to  ask  about  Paris  and  the  places 
he  had  visited. 

Meanwhile  Katy  had  been  ushered  into  her  room,  which 
was  directly  over  the  library,  and  separated  from  Mrs. 
Cameron's  only  by  a  range  of  closets  and  presses,  a  por 
tion  of  which  were  to  be  appropriated  to  her  own  use. 
Great  pains  had  been  taken  to  make  her  rooms  attractwe, 
and  as  the  large  bay  window  in  the  library  below  extended 
to  the  third  story,  it  was  really  the  pleasantest  chamber  in 
the  house.  To  Katy  it  was  perfect,  and  her  first  exclama 
tion  was  one  of  delight. 

"  Oh,  how  pleasant,  how  beautiful !  "  she  cried,  skipping 
across  the  soft  carpet  to  the  warm  fire  blazing  in  the  grate. 
'•'  A  bay  window,  too,  when  I  like  them*  so  much.  I  shall 
be  happy  here." 

But  happy  as  she  was,  Katy  could  not  help  feeling  tired, 
and  she  sank  into  one  of  the  luxurious  easy-chairs,  wishing 
she  could  stay  there  all  the  evening  instead  of  going  down 
to  that  formidable  dinner  with  her  new  relations.  How 
she  dreaded  it,  especially  when  she  remembered  that  Mrs. 
Cameron  had  said  there  would  be  plenty  of  time  to  dress 
— a  thing  which  Katy  hated,  the  process  was  so  tiresome, 
particularly  to-night.  Surely  her  handsome  traveling 
dress,  made  in  Paris,  was  good  enough,  and  she  was  about 
settling  in  her  own  mind  to  venture  upon  wearing  it,  when 
Esther  demolished  her  castle  at  once. 

"  Wear  your  traveling  habit !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  when 
the  young  ladies,  especially  Miss  Juno,  are  so  particular 
about  their  dinner  costume.  There  would  be  no  end  to 
the  scolding  I  should  get  for  suffering  it,"  and  she  began 


The  Cameron  Pride.  113 

good-naturedly  to  remove  her  mistress's  collar  and  pin, 
while  Katy,  standing  up,  sighed  as  she  said,  "  I  wish  I 
was  in  Silverton  to-night.  I  could  wear  anything  there. 
What  must  I  put  on  ?  How  I  dread  it !  "  and  she  began  to 
shiver  again. 

Fortunately  for  Katy,  Esther  had  been  in  the  family 
long  enough  to  know  just  what  they  regarded  proper,  a* 
by  this  means  the  dress  selected  was  sure  to  please.  li 
was  very  becoming  to  Katy,  and  having  been  made  in 
Paris  was  not  open  to  criticism. 

"  Very  pretty  indeed,"  was  Mrs.  Cameron's  verdict, 
when  at  half-past  five  she  came  in  to  see  her  daughter, 
kissing  her  cheek  and  stroking  her  head,  wholly  unadorned 
except  by  the  short,  silken  curls  which  could  not  be  coaxed 
to  grow  faster  than  they  chose,  and  which  had  sometimes 
annoyed  Wilford,  they  made  his  wife  seem  so  young  be 
side  him.  Mrs.  Cameron  was  annoyed,  too,  for  she  had  no 
idea  of  a  head  except  as  it  was  connected  with  a  hair 
dresser,  and  her  annoyance  showed  itself  as  she  asked, 

66  Did  you  have  your  hair  cut  on  purpose  ?  " 

But  when  Katy  explained,  she  answered  pleasantly, 

"  Never  mind,  it  is  a  fault  which  will  mend  every  day, 
only  it  makes  you  look  like  a  child." 

"  I  am  eighteen  and  a  half,"  Katy  said,  feeling  a  lump 
rising  in  her  throat,  for  she  guessed  that  her  mother-in- 
law  was  not  quite  pleased  with  her  hair. 

For  herself,  she  liked  it,  it  was  so  easy  to  brush  and 
fix.  She  should  go  wild  if  she  had  to  submit  to  all  Esther 
had  told  her  of  hair-dressing  and  what  it  involved. 

Mrs.  Cameron  had  asked  if  she  would  not  like  to  see 
Mr.  Cameron,  the  elder,  before  going  down  to  dinner,  and 
Katy  had  answered  that  she  would;  so  as  soon  as  Esther 
had  smoothed  a  refractory  fold  and  brought  her  handker 
chief,  she  followed  to  the  room  where  Wilford's  father  was 
fitting.  He  might  not  have  felt  complimented  could  he 
have  known  that  something  in  his  appearance  reminded 
Katy  of  Uncle  Ephraim.  He  was  not  nearly  as  old  or  as 
tall,  nor  was  his  hair  as  white,  but  the  resemblance,  if 
there  were  any,  lay  in  the  smile  with  which  he  greeted 
Katy,  calling  her  his  youngest  child,  and  drawing  her 
closely  to  him. 


H4  The  Cameron  Pride. 

It  was  remarked  of  Mr.  Cameron  thr.t  since  their  baby 
hood  he  had  never  kissed  one  of  his  own  children;  but 
when  Katy,  who  looked  upon  such  a  salutation  as  a  mat 
ter  of  course,  put  up  her  rosy  lips,  making  the  first  ad 
vance,  he  kissed  her  twice.  Hearty,  honest  kisses  they 
were,  for  the  man  was  strongly  drawn  towards  the  young 
girl,  who  said  to  him  timidly, 

"I  am  glad  to  have  a  father — mine  died  before  I 
could  remember  him.  May  I  call  you  so  ?  " 

"Yes,  yes;  God  bless  you,  my  child,"  and  Mr.  Cam 
eron's  voice  shook  as  he  said  it,  for  neither  Bell  nor  Juno 
were  wont  to  address  him  just  as  Katy  did — Katy,  stand 
ing  close  to  him,  with  her  hand  upon  his  shoulder  and 
lier  kiss  fresh  upon  his  lips. 

She  had  already  crept  a  long  way  into  his  heart,  and 
he  took  her  hand  from  his  shoulder  and  holding  it  be 
tween  his  own,  said  to  her, 

"  I  did  not  think  you  were  so  small  or  young.  You 
are  my  little  daughter,  my  baby,  instead  of  my  son's  wife. 
How  do  you  ever  expect  to  fulfill  the  duties  of  Mrs.  Wil- 
f  ord  Cameron  ?  "' 

"  It's  my  short  hair,  sir.  I  am  not  so  young,"  Katy 
answered,  her  eyes  filling  with  tears  as  she  began  to  wish 
b*ack  the  thick  curls  Helen  cut  away  w,hen  the  fever  was 
at  its  height. 

"  Never  mind,  child,"  Mr.  Cameron  rejoined  playfully. 
"  Youth  is  no  reproach ;  there's  many  a  one  would  give 
their  right  hand  to  be  young  like  you.  Juno  for  instance, 
who  is — " 

"  Hus-band !  "  came  reprovingly  from  Mrs.  Cameron, 
spoken  as  only  she  could  speak  it,  with  a  prolonged  buz 
zing  sound  on  the  first  syllable,  and  warning  the  husband 
that  he  was  venturing  too  far. 

"  It  is  time  to  go  down  if  Mrs.  Cameron  sees  the  young 
ladies  before  dinner,"  she  said,  a  little  stiffly;  whereupon 
her  better  half  startled  Katy  with  the  exclamation, 

"Mrs.  Cameron!  Thunder  and  lightning!  wife, 
call  her  Katy,  and  don't  go  into  any  nonsense  of  t-nat 
kind." 

The  lady  reddened,  but  said  nothing  until  she  reached 
the  hall,  when  she  whispered  to  Katy,  apologetically, 


The  Cameron  Pride.  115 

"  Don't  mind  it.  He  is  rather  irritable  since  his  ill 
ness,  and  sometimes  makes  use  of  coarse  language." 

Katy  had  been  a  little  frightened  at  the  outburst,  but 
she  liked  Mr.  Cameron  notwithstanding,  and  her  heart 
was  lighttr  as  she  went  down  to  the  library,  where  Wil- 
ford  met  her  at  the  door,  and  taking  her  on  his  arm  led 
her  in  to  his  sisters,  holding  her  back  as  he  presented  her, 
lest  she  should  assault  them  as  she  had  his  mother.  But 
Katy  felt  no  desire  to  hug  the  tall,  queenly  girl  whom 
Wilford  introduced  as  Juno,  and  whose  black  eyes  seemed 
to  read  her  through  as  she  offered  her  hand  and  very 
daintily  kissed  her  forehead,  murmuring  something  about 
a  welcome  to  New  York.  Bell  came  next,  broad-faced, 
plainer-looking  Bell,  who  yet  had  many  pretentions  to 
beauty,  but  whose  manner,  if  possible,  was  frostier,  cooler 
than  her  sister's.  Of  the  two  Katy  liked  Juno  best,  for 
there  was  about  her  a  flash  and  sparkle  very  fascinating 
to  one  who  had  never  seen  anything  of  the  kind,  and 
did  not  know  that  much  of  this  vivacity  was  the  result 
of  patient  study  and  practice.  Katy  would  have  known 
they  were  high  bred,  as  the  world  defines  high  breeding, 
and  something  in  their  manner  reminded  her  of  the 
ladies  she  had  seen  abroad,  ladies  in  whose  veins  lordly 
blood  was  flowing.  She  could  not  help  feeling  uncom 
fortable  in  their  presence,  especially  as  she  felt  that 
Juno's  black  eyes  were  on  her  constantly.  Not  that  she 
could  ever  meet  them  looking  at  her,  for  they  darted  away 
the  instant  hers  were  raised,  but  she  knew  just  when  they 
returned  to  her  again,  and  how  closely  they  were  scanning 
her. 

"  Your  wife  looks  tired,  Will.  Let  her  sit  down,"  Bell 
said,  herself  wheeling  the  easy-chair  nearer  to  the  fire, 
while  Wilford  placed  Katy  in  it ;  then,  thinking  she  would 
get  on  better  if  he  were  not  there,  he  left  the  room,  and 
Katy  was  alone  with  her  new  sisters. 

Juno  had  examined  her  dress  and  found  no  fault  with 
it,  simply  because  it  was  Parisian  made;  while  Bell  had 
examined  her  head,  deciding  that  there  might  be  some 
thing  in  it,  though  she  doubted  it,  but  that  at  all  events 
short  hair  was  very  becoming  to  it,  showing  all  its  fine 
proportions,  and  half  deciding  to  have  her  own  locks  cut 


Ho  The  Cameron  Pride. 

away.  Juno  had  a  similar  thought,  wondering  if  it  were 
the  Paris  fashion,  and  if  she  would  look  as  young 
in  proportion  as  Katy  did  were  her  hair  worn  on  her 
neck. 

With  their  brother's  departure  the  tongues  of  both  the 
girls  were  loosened,  and  standing  near  to  Katy  they  be 
gan  to  question  her  of  what  she  had  seen,  Juno  asking  if 
she  did  not  hate  to  leave  Italy,  and  did  not  wish  her 
self  back  again.  Wholly  truthful,  Katy  answered,  "  Oh, 
yes,  I  would  rather  be  there  than  home/*' 

"  Complimentary  to  us,  very,"  Bell  murmured  audibly 
in  French,  blushing  as  Katy's  eyes  were  lifted  quickly 
to  hers,  and  she  knew  she  was  understood. 

If  there  was  anything  which  Katy  liked  more  than 
another  in  the  way  of  study,  it  was  French.  She  had  ex 
celled  in  it  at  Canandaigua,  and  while  abroad  had  taken 
great  pains  to  acquire  a  pure  pronunciation,  so  that  she 
spoke  it  with  a  good  deal  of  fluency,  and  readily  compre 
hended  Bell. 

"  I  did  not  mean  to  be  rude,"  she  said,  earnestly.  "  I 
liked  Italy  so  much,  and  we  expected  to  stay  longer;  but 
that  does  not  hinder  my  liking  to  be  here.  I  hope  I  did 
not  offend  you/' 

"  Certainly  not ;  you  are  an  honest  little  puss,"  Bell 
replied,  placing  her  hand  caressingly  upon  the  curly  head 
laying  back  so  wearily  on  the  chair.  "  Here  in  New  York 
we  have  a  bad  way  of  not  telling  the  whole  truth,  but  you 
will  soon  be  used  to  it." 

"Used  to  not  telling  the  tmth !  Oh,  I  hope  not!" 
and  this  time  the  blue  eyes  lifted  so  wonderingly  to  Bell's 
face  had  in  them  a  startled  look. 

"  Simpleton !  "  was  Juno's  mental  comment,  while  Bell's 
was,  "I  like  the  child,"  as  she  continued  to  smooth  the 
golden  curls  and  wind  them  round  her  finger,  wondering 
if  Katy  had  a  taste  for  metaphysics,  that  being  the  last 
branch  of  science  which  she  had  taken  up. 

"  I  suppose  you  find  Will  a  pattern  husband,"  Juno 
said  after  a  moment's  pause,  and  Katy  replied,  "  There 
never  could  be  a  better,  I  am  sure,  and  I  have  been  very 
happy." 

"  Has  he  never  said  one  cross  word  to  you  in  all  these 


The  Cameron  Pride.  117 

six  months  ? "  was  Juno's  next  question,  to  which  Katy 
answered  truthfully,  "  Never/' 

"  And  lets  you  do  as  you  please  ?  " 

"  Yes,  just  as  I  please/7  Katy  replied,  while  Juno  con 
tinued,  "  lie  must  have  changed  greatly  then  from  what 
he  used  to  be;  but  marriage  has  probably  improved  him. 
He  tells  you  all  his  secrets,  too,  I  presume  ? " 

Anxious  that  Wilford  should  appear  well  in  every  light, 
Katy  replied  at  random,  "  Yes,  if  he  has  any." 

"  Well,  then,"  and  in  Juno's  black  eyes  there  was  a 
wicked  look,  "  perhaps  you  will  tell  me  who  was  or  is  the 
original  of  that  picture  he  guards  so  carefully." 

"  What  picture  ?  "  and  Katy  looked  up  inquiringly,  while 
Juno,  with  a  little  sarcastic  laugh,  continued :  "  Oh,  he 
has  not  told  you  then.  I  thought  he  would  not,  he  was 
so  angry  when  he  saw  me  with  it  three  or  four  years 
ago.  I  found  it  in  his  room  where  he  had  accidentally 
left  it,  and  was  looking  at  it  when  he  came  in.  It  was 
the  picture  of  a  young  girl  who  must  have  been  very 
beautiful,  and  I  did  not  blame  Will  for  loving  her  if  he 
ever  did,  but  he  need  not  have  been  so  indignant  at  me 
for  wishing  to  know  who  it  was.  I  never  saw  him  so 
angry  or  so  much  disturbed.  I  hope  you  will  ferret  the 
secret  out  and  tell  me,  for  I  have  a  great  deal  of  curiosity, 
fancying  that  picture  had  something  to  do  with  his  re 
maining  so  long  a  bachelor.  I  do  not  mean  that  he  does 
not  love  you,"  she  added,  a^  she  saw  how  white  Katy 
grew.  "  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  a  man  can  live 
to  be  thirty  without  loving  more  than  one.  There  was 
Sybil  Grey,  a  famous  belle,  whom  I  thought  at  one  time 
he  would  marry;  but  when  Judge  Grandon  offered  she 
accepted,  and  Will  was  left  in  the  lurch.  I  do  not  really 
believe  he  cared  though,  for  Sybil  was  too  much  of  a  flirt 
to  suit  his  jealous  lordship,  and  I  will  do  him  the  justice 
to  say  that  however  many  fancies  he  may  have  had,  he 
likes  you  the  best  of  all ;  "'  and  this  Juno  felt  constrained 
to  say  because  of  the  look  in  Katy's  face,  which  warned 
her  that  in  her  thoughtlessness  she  had  gone  too  far  and 
pierced  the  young  wife's  heart  with  a  pang  as  cruel  as  it 
was  unnecessary. 

Bell  had  tried  to  stop  her,  but  she  had  rattled  on  until 


n8  The  Cameron  Pride. 

now  it  was  too  late,  and  she  could  not  recall  her  words, 
however  much  she  might  wish  to  do  so.  "  Don't  tell 
Will,"  she  was  about  to  say,  when  Will  himself  appeared, 
to  take  Katy  out  to  dinner.  Very  beautiful  and  sad  were 
the  blue  eyes  which  looked  up  at  him  so  wistfully,  and 
nothing  but  the  remembrance  of  Juno's  words,  "  He  likes 
you  best  of  all,"  kept  Katy  from  crying  outright,  when 
he  took  her  hand,  and  asked  if  she  was  tired. 

"  Let  us  try  what  dinner  will  do  for  you,"  he  said,  and 
in  silence  Katy  went  with  him  to  the  dining-room,  where 
the  glare  and  the  ceremony  bewildered  her,  bringing  a 
homesick  feeling  as  she  thought  of  Silverton,  and  the 
plain  tea-table,  graced  with  the  mulberry  set  instead  of 
the  costly  china  before  her. 

Never  had  Katy  felt  so  embarrassed  as  she  did  when 
seated  for  the  first  time  at  dinner  in  her  husband's  home, 
with  all  those  criticising  eyes  upon  her.  She  had  been 
very  hungry,  but  her  appetite  was  gone  and  she  almost 
loathed  the  rich  food  offered  her,  feeling  so  glad  when 
the  dinner  was  ended,  and  Wilford  took  her  to  the  parlor, 
where  she  found  Mark  Ray  waiting  for  her.  He  had  been 
obliged  to  decline  Mrs.  Cameron's  invitation  to  dinner, 
but  had  come  as  early  as  possible  after  it,  and  Katy  was 
delighted  to  see  him,  for  she  remembered  how  he  had 
helped  her  during  that  week  of  gayety  in  Boston,  when 
society  was  so  new  to  her.  As  he  had  been  then,  so  he  was 
now,  and  his  friendly  manner  put  Katy  as  much  at  her 
ease  as  it  was  possible  for  her  to  be  in  the  presence  of 
Wilford's  mother  and  sisters. 

"  I  suppose  you  have  not  seen  your  sister  Helen  ?  You 
know  I  called  there,"  Mark  said  to  Katy;  but  before  she 
could  reply,  a  pair  of  black  eyes  shot  a  keen  glance  at 
luckless  Mark,  and  Juno's  sharp  voice  said  quickly,  "  I 
did  not  know  you  had  the  honor  of  Miss  Lennox's  acquaint 
ance." 

Mark  was  in  a  dilemma.  He  had  kept  his  call  at  Silver- 
ton  to  himself,  as  he  did  not  care  to  be  questioned  about 
Katy's  family;  and  now,  when  it  accidentally  came  out, 
he  tried  to  make  some  evasive  reply,  pretending  that  he 
had  spoken  of  it,  and  Juno  had  forgotten.  But  Juno 
knew  better,  and  from  that  night  dated  a  strocg  feeling 


The  Cameron  Pride.  119 

of  dislike  for  Helen  Lennox,  whom  she  affected  to  despise, 
even  though  she  could  be  jealous  of  her.  Wisely  changing 
the  conversation,  Mark  asked  Katy  to  play,  and  as  she 
seldom  refused,  she  went  at  once  to  the  piano,  astonishing 
both  Mrs.  Cameron  and  her  daughters  with  the  brilliancy 
of  her  performance.  Even  Juno  complimented  her,  say 
ing  she  must  have  taken  lessons  very  young. 

"  When  I  was  ten,"  Katy  answered.  "  Cousin  Morris 
gave  me  my  first  exercise  himself.  He  plays  sometimes." 

"  Yes,  I  knew  that,"  Juno  replied.  "  Does  your  sister 
play  as  well  as  you  ?  " 

Katy  knew  that  Helen  did  not,  and  she  answered  frankly, 
"  Morris  thinks  she  does  not.  She  is  not  as  fond  of  it 
as  I  am."  Then  feeling  that  she  must  in  some  way  make 
amends  for  Helen,  she  added,  "But  she  knows  a  great 
deal  more  than  I  do  about  books.  Helen  is  very  smart." 

There  was  a  smile  on  every  lip  at  this  ingenuous  re 
mark,  but  only  Mark  and  Bell  liked  Katy  the  better  for 
it.  Wilford  did  not  care  to  have  her  talking  of  her  friends, 
and  he  kept  her  at  the  piano,  until  she  said  her  fingers 
were  tired  and  begged  leave  to  stop. 

It  was  late  ere  Mark  bade  them  good  night;  so  late 
that  Katy  began  to  wonder  if  he  would  never  go,  yawn 
ing  once  so  perceptibly  that  Wilford  gave  her  a  reproving 
glance,  which  sent  the  hot  blood  to  her  face  and  drove 
from  her  every  feeling  of  drowsiness.  Even  after  he  had 
gone  the  family  were  in  no  haste  to  retire,  but  sat  chatting 
with  Wilford  until  the  city  clock  struck  twelve  and  Katy 
was  nodding  in  her  chair. 

"  Poor  child,  she  is  very  tired,"  Wilford  said,  apolo 
getically,  gently  waking  Katy,  who  begged  them  to  excuse 
her,  and  followed  her  husband  to  her  room,  where  she 
was  free  to  ask  him  what  she  must  ask  before  she  could 
ever  be  quite  as  happy  as  she  had  been  before. 

Going  up  to  the  chair  where  Wilford  was  sitting  before 
the  fire,  and  standing  partly  behind  him,  she  said  timidly, 
"  Will  you  answer  me  one  thing  truly  ?  " 

Alone  with  Katy,  Wilford  felt  all  his  old  tenderness  re 
turning,  and  drawing  her  into  his  lap  he  asked  her  what 
it  was  she  wished  to  know. 

"Did  you  love  anybody  three  or  four  years  ago,  or  ever 


120  The  Cameron  Pride. 

— that  is,  love  them  well  enough  to  wish  to  make  them 
your  wife  ? " 

Katy  could  feel  how  Wilford  started,  as  he  said,  "  What 
put  that  idea  into  your  head?  Who  has  been  talking  to 
you  ?  " 

"  Juno,"  Katy  answered.  "  She  told  me  she  believed 
that  it  was  some  other  love  which  kept  you  a  bachelor 
so  long.  Was  it,  Wilford  ? "  and  Katy's  lips  quivered 
in  a  grieved  kind  of  way  as  she  put  the  question. 

"  Juno  be " 

Wilford  did  not  say  what,  for  he  seldom  swore,  and 
never  in  a  lady's  presence.  So  he  said  instead, 

"  It  was  very  unkind  in  Juno  to  distress  you  with  mat 
ters  about  which  she  knew  nothing."1 

"  But  did  you  ?  "  Katy  asked  again.  "  Was  there  not  a 
Sybil  Grey,  or  some  one  of  that  name  ?  " 

At  the  mention  of  Sybil  Grey,  Wilford  looked  relieved, 
and  answered  her  at  once. 

"  Yes,  there  was  a  Sybil  Grey,  Mrs.  Judge  Grandon  now, 
and  a  dashing  widow.  Don't  sigh  so  wearily,"  he  con 
tinued,  as  Katy  drew  a  gasping  breath.  "  Knowing  she 
was  a  widow  I  chose  you,  thus  showing  which  I  preferred. 
Few  men  live  to  be  thirty  without  more  or  less  fancies, 
which  under  some  circumstances  might  ripen  into  some 
thing  stronger,  and  I  am  not  an  exception.  I  never  loved 
Sybil  Grey,  nor  wished  to  make  her  my  wife.  I  admired 
her  very  much.  I  admire  her  yet,  and  among  all  my 
acquaintances  there  is  not  one  upon  whom  I  would  care 
to  have  you  make  so  good  an  impression  as  upon  her,  nor 
one  whose  manner  you  could  better  imitate." 

"  Oh,  will  she  call?  Shall  I  see  her?"  Katy  asked,  be 
ginning  to  feel  alarmed  at  the  very  thought  of  Sybil  Grey, 
with  all  her  polish  and  manner. 

"  She  is  spending  the  winter  in  New  Orleans  with  her 
late  husband's  relatives.  She  will  not  return  till  spring," 
Wilford  replied.  "  But  do  not  look  so  distressed,  for  I 
tell  you  solemnly  that  I  never  loved  another  as  I  love  you. 
Bo  you  believe  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  and  Katy's  head  drooped  upon  his  shoulder. 

She  was  satisfied  with  regard  to  Sybil  Grandon,  only  hop 
ing  she  would  not  have  to  meet  her  when  she  came  home. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  121 

But  the  picture.  Whose  was  that  ?  Not  Sybil's  certainly, 
else  Juno  would  have  known.  The  picture  troubled  her, 
but  she  dared  not  speak  of  it,  Wilford  had  seemed  so 
angry  at  Juno.  Still  she  would  probe  him  a  little  further, 
and  so  she  continued, 

"  I  do  believe  you,  and  if  I  ever  see  this  Sybil  I  will  try 
to  imitate  her;  but  tell  me,  if  after  her,  there  was  among 
your  friends  one  better  than  the  rest,  one  almost  as  dear 
as  I  am,  one  whom  you  sometimes  remember  even  now — 
is  she  living,  or  is  she  dead  ?  " 

Wilford  thought  of  that  humble  grave  far  off  in  St. 
Mary's  churchyard,  and  he  answered  quickly, 

"  If  there  ever  was  such  an  one,  she  certainly  is  not  liv 
ing.  Are  you  satisfied  ?  " 

Katy  answered  that  she  was,  but  perfect  confidence  in 
her  husband's  affection  had  been  terribly  shaken,  and 
Katy's  heart  was  too  full  to  sleep  even  after  she  had  re 
tired.  Visions  of  Sybil  Grey,  blended  with  visions  of 
another  whom  she  called  the  "  dead  fancy,"  flitted  before 
her  mind,  as  she  lay  awake,  while  hour  after  hour  went 
by,  until  tired  nature  could  endure  no  longer,  and  just 
as  the  great  city  was  waking  up  and  the  rattle  of  wheels 
was  beginning  to  be  heard  upon  the  pavements,  she  fell 
away  to  sleep. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  BELL  CAMERON'S  DIARY. 

NEW   YORK,  December. 

AFTER  German  Philosophy  and  Hamilton's  Metaphy 
sics,  it  is  a  great  relief  to  have  introduced  into  the  family 
an  entirely  new  element — a  character  the  dissection  of 
which  is  at  once  a  novelty  and  a  recreation.  It  is  abso 
lutely  refreshing,  and  I  find  myself  returning  to  my  books 
with  increased  vigor  after  an  encounter  with  that  un 
sophisticated,  innocent-Hi i  r.ded  creature,  our  sister-in-law 
Mrs.  Wilford  Cameron.  Such  pictures  as  Juno  and  I 
used  to  draw  of  the  stately  personage  who  was  one  day  com 
ing  to  us  as  Wilf ord's  wife,  and  of  whom  even  mother  was  to 
stand  in  awe.  Alas,  how  hath  our  idol  fallen !  And  still 
I  rather  like  the  little  creature,  who,  the  very  first  night, 


122  The  Cameron  Pride. 

nearly  choked  mother  to  death,  giving  her  lace  streamers 
a  most  uncomfortable  twitch,  and  actually  kissing  father 
— a  thing  I  have  not  done  since  I  can  remember.  But 
then  the  Camerons  are  all  a  set  of  icicles,  encased  in  a 
refrigerator  at  that.  If  we  were  not,  we  should  thaw  out, 
when  Katy  leans  on  us  so  affectionately  and  looks  up  at 
us  so  wistfully,  as  if  pleading  for  our  love.  Wilford  does 
wonders;  he  used  to  be  so  grave,  so  dignified  and  silent, 
that  I  never  supposed  he  would  bear  having  a  wife  meet 
him  at  the  door  with  cooing  and  kisses,  and  climbing  into 
his  lap  right  before  us  all.  Juno  says  it  makes  her  sick, 
while  mother  is  dreadfully  shocked;  and  even  Will  some 
times  seems  annoyed,  gently  shoving  her  aside  and  telling 
her  he  is  tired. 

After  all,  it  is  a  query  in  my  mind  whether  it  is  not 
better  to  be  like  Katy  than  like  Sybil  Grandon,  about 
whom  Juno  was  mean  enough  to  tell  her  the  first  day  of 
her  arrival. 

"  Very  pretty,  but  shockingly  insipid,"  is  Juno's  verdict 
upon  Mrs.  Wilford,  while  mother  says  less,  but  looks  a 
great  deal  more,  especially  when  she  talks  about  "my 
folks,"  as  she  did  to  Mrs.  Gen.  Eeynolds  the  first  time  she 
called.  Mother  and  Juno  were  so  annoyed,  while  Will 
looked  like  a  thunder  cloud,  when  she,  spoke  of  Uncle 
Ephraim  saying  so  and  so.  He  was  better  satisfied  with 
Katy  in  Europe,  where  he  was  not  known,  than  he  is  here, 
where  he  sees  her  with  other  people's  eyes.  One  of  his 
weaknesses  is  a  too  great  reverence  for  the  world's  opinion, 
as  held  and  expounded  by  our  very  fashionable  mother,  and 
as  in  a  quiet  kind  of  way  she  has  arrayed  herself  against 
poor  Katy,  while  Juno  is  more  open  in  her  acts  and  say 
ings,  I  predict  that  it  will  not  be  many  months  before  he 
comes  to  the  conclusion  that  he  has  made  a  mesalliance, 
a  thing  of  which  no  Cameron  was  ever  guilty. 

I  wonder  if  there  is  any  truth  in  the  rumor  that  Mrs. 
Gen.  Eeynolds  once  taught  a  district  school,  and  if  she 
did,  how  much  would  that  detract  from  the  merits  of  her 
son,  Lieutenant  Bob.  But  what  nonsense  to  be  writing 
about  him.  Let  me  go  back  to  Katy,  to  whom  Mrs.  Gen. 
Reynolds  took  at  once,  laughing  merrily  at  her  na'ive 
speeches,  as  she  called  them — speeches  which  made  Will 


The  Cameron  Pride.  123 

turn  black  in  the  face,  they  betrayed  so  much  of  rustic 
life  and  breeding.  I  fancy  that  he  has  given  Katy  a  few 
hints,  and  that  she  is  beginning  to  be  afraid  of  him,  for 
she  watches  him  constantly  when  she  is  talking,  and  she 
does  not  now  slip  her  hand  into  his  as  she  used  to  when 
guests  are  leaving  and  she  stands  at  his  side;  neither  is 
she  so  demonstrative  when  Le  comes  up  from  the  office  at 
night,  and  there  is  a  look  upon  her  face  which  was  not 
there  when  she  came.  They  are  "  toning  her  down," 
mother  and  Juno,  and  to-morrow  they  are  actually  going 
to  commence  a  systematic  course  of  training  preparatory 
to  her  debut  into  society,  said  debut  to  occur  on  the  night 

of  the ,  when  Mrs.  Gen.  Reynolds  gives  the  party  talked 

about  so  long.  I  was  present  when  they  met  in  solemn 
conclave  to  talk  it  over,  mother  asking  Will  if  he  had  any 
objections  to  Juno's  instructing  his  wife  with  regard  to 
certain  things  of  which  she  was  ignorant.  Will's  forehead 
knit  itself  together  at  first,  and  I  half  hoped  he  would  veto 
the  whole  proceeding,  but  after  a  moment  he  replied, 

"  No,  provided  Katy  is  willing.  Her  feelings  must  not 
be  hurt." 

"  Certainly  not,"  mother  said.  "  Katy  is  a  dear  little 
creature,  and  we  all  love  her  very  much,  but  that  does 
not  blind  us  to  her  deficiencies,  and  as  we  are  anxious 
that  she  should  fill  that  place  in  society  which  Mrs.  Wil- 
ford  Cameron  ought  to  fill,  it  seems  necessary  to  tone  her 
down  a  little  before  her  first  appearance  at  a  party." 

To  this  Will  assented,  and  then  Juno  went  on  to  enu 
merate  her  deficiencies,  which,  as  nearly  as  I  can  remember, 
are  these:  She  laughs  too  much  and  too  loud;  is  too  en 
thusiastic  over  novelties ;  has  too  much  to  say  about  Silver- 
ton  and  "my  folks;"  quotes  Uncle  Ephraim  and  sister 
^  Helen  too  often,  and  is  even  guilty  at  times  of  mentioning 
a  certain  Aunt  Betsy,  who  must  have  floated  with  the  ark, 
and  snuffed  the  breezes  of  Ararat.  She  does  not  know 
how  to  enter,  or  cross,  or  leave  a  room  properly,  or  receive 
an  introduction,  or,  in  short,  to  do  anything  according  to 
New  York  ideas,  as  understood  by  the  Camerons,  and  so 
she  is  to  be  taught — toned  down,  mother  called  it — dwell 
ing  upon  her  high  spirit  as  something  vulgar,  if  not  abso 
lutely  wicked.  How  father  would  have  sworn,  for  he  calls 


124  The  Cameron  Pride. 

her  his  little  sunbeam,  and  says  he  never  should  have 
gained  so  fast  if  she  had  not  come  with  her  sunny  face, 
and  lively,  merry  laugh,  to  cheer  his  sick  room.  Katy  has 
a  fast  friend  in  him.  But  mother  and  Juno — well,  I  shall 
be  glad  if  they  do  not  annihilate  her  altogether,  and  I  am 
surprised  that  Will  allows  it.  I  wonder  if  Katy  is  really 
happy  with  us.  She  says  she  is,  and  is  evidently  delighted 
with  New  York  life,  clapping  her  hands  when  the  invita 
tion  to  Mrs.  Reynolds's  party  was  received,  and  running 
with  it  to  Wilford  as  soon  as  he  came  home.  It  is  her 
first  big  party,  she  says,  she  having  never  attended  any  ex 
cept  that  little  sociable  in  Boston,  and  those  insipid 
school-girl  affairs  at  the  seminary.  I  may  be  conceited 
— Juno  thinks  I  am — but  really  and  truly,  Bell  Cameron's 
private  opinion  of  herself  is  that  at  heart  she  is  better 
than  the  rest  of  her  family,  and  so  I  pity  this  little  sister 
of  ours,  while  at  the  same  time  I  am  exceedingly  anxious 
to  be  present  whenever  Juno  takes  her  in  hand,  for  I  like 
to  see  the  fun.  Were  she  at  all  bookish,  I  should  avow 
myself  her  champion,  and  openly  defend  her;  but  she  is 
not,  and  so  I  give  her  into  the  hands  of  the  Philistines, 
hoping  they  will,  at  least,  spare  her  hair,  and  not  worry 
her  life  out  on  that  head.  It  is  very  becoming  to  her,  and 
several  young  ladies  have  whispered  their  intention  of 
trying  its  effect  upon  themselves,  so  that  Katy  may  yet 
be  a  leader  of  the  fashion. 

CHAPTER   XV. 

TONING    DOWN. — BELI/S    DIARY    CONTINUED. 

SUCH  fun  as  it  was  to  see  mother  and  Juno  training 
Katy,  showing  her  how  to  enter  the  parlor,  how  to  ar 
range  her  dress,  how  to  carry  her  hands  and  feet,  and  how 
to  sit  in  a  chair — Juno  going  through  with  the  perform 
ance  first,  and  then  requiring  Katy  to  imitate  her.  Had 
I  been  Katy  I  should  have  rebelled,  but  she  is  far  too 
sweet-tempered  and  anxious  to  please,  while  I  suspect  that 
fear  of  my  lord  Wilford  had  something  to  do  with  it,  for 
when  the  drill  was  over,  she  asked  so  earnestly  if  we 
thought  he  would  be  ashamed  of  her,  and  there  were  tears 
in  her  great  blue  eyes  as  she  said  it.  Hang  Wilford !  Hang 


The  Cameron  Pride.  125 

the  whole  of  them;  I  am  not  sure  I  shall  not  yet  espouse 
her  cause  myself,  or  else  tell  father,  who  will  do  it  so  much 
better. 

Dec.  — tli. — Another  drill,  with  Juno  commanding  of 
ficer,  while  the  poor  little  private  seemed  completely  wor 
ried  out.  This  time  there  were  open  doors,  but  so  ab 
sorbed  were  mother  and  Juno  as  not  to  hear  the  bell,  and 
just  as  Juno  was  saying,  "Now  imagine  me  Mrs.  Gen. 
Reynolds,  to  whom  you  are  being  presented,"  while  Katjr 
was  bowing  almost  to  the  floor,  who  should  appear  but 
Mark  Kay,  stumbling  square  upon  that  ludicrous  rehearsal, 
and,  of  course,  bringing  it  to  an  end.  No  explanation  was 
made,  nor  was  any  needed,  for  Mark's  face  showed  that  he 
understood  it,  and  it  was  as  much  as  he  could  do  to  keep 
from  roaring  with  merriment;  I  am  sure  he  pitied  Katy, 
for  his  manner  towards  her  was  very  affectionate  and  kind, 
and  when  she  left  the  room  he  complimented  her  highly, 
repeating  many  things  he  had  heard  in  her  praise  from, 
those  who  had  seen  her  both  in  the  street  and  here  at  home. 
Juno's  face  was  like  a  thunder-cloud,  for  she  is  as  much 
in  love  with  Mark  Eay  as  she  was  once  with  Dr.  Grant, 
and  is  even  jealous  of  his  praise  of  Katy.  Glad  am  I  that 
I  never  yet  saw  the  man  who  could  make  me  jealous,  or  for 
whom  I  cared  a  pin.  There's  Bob  Eeynolds  up  at  West 
Point.  I  suppose  I  do  think  his  epaulettes  very  becom 
ing  to  him,  but  his  hair  is  too  light,  and  he  cannot  raise 
whiskers  big  enough  to  cast  a  shadow  on  the  wall,  while 
I  know  he  looks  with  contempt  upon  females  who  write, 
even  though  their  writings  never  see  the  light  of  day; 
thinks  them  strong-minded,  self-willed,  and  all  that.  He 
is  expected  to  be  present  at  the  party,  but  I  shall  not  go. 
I  prefer  to  stay  at  home  and  finish  that  article  entitled, 
"  Women  of  the  Present  Century,"  suggested  to  my  mind 
by  my  sister  Katy,  who  stands  for  the  picture  I  am  draw 
ing  of  a  pretty  woman,  with  more  heart  than  brains,  con 
trasting  her  with  such  an  one  as  Juno,  her  opposite. 

January  10. — The  last  time  I  wrote  in  my  journal  was 
just  before  the  party,  which  is  over  now,  the  long  talked 
of  affair  at  which  Katy  was  the  reigning  belle.  I  don't 
know  how  it  happened,  but  happen  it  did,  and  Juno's 
glory  faded  before  that  of  her  rival,  whose  ringing  laugh 


126  The  Cameron  Pride. 

frequently  penetrated  to  every  room,  and  made  more  than 
one  look  up  in  some  surprise.  But  when  Mrs.  Hum 
phreys  said,  "  It's  that  charming  little  Mrs.  Cameron,  the 
prettiest  creature  I  ever  saw,  her  laugh  is  so  refreshing 
and  genuine/'  the  point  was  settled,  and  Katy  was  free 
to  laugh  as  loudly  as  she  pleased. 

She  did  look  beautifully,  in  lace  and  pearls,  with  her 
short  hair  curling  in  her  neck.  She  would  not  allow  us  to 
put  so  much  as  a  bud  in  her  hair,  showing,  in  this  respect, 
a  willfulness  we  never  expected ;  but  as  she  was  perfectly 
irresistible,  we  suffered  her  to  have  her  way,  and  when  she 
was  dressed,  sent  her  in  to  father,  who  had  asked  to  see 
her.  And  now  comes  the  strangest  thing  in  the  world. 

"  You  are  very  beautiful,  little  daughter/'  father  said, 
"  I  almost  wish  I  was  going  with  you  to  see  the  sensation 
you  are  sure  to  create." 

Then  straight  into  his  lap  climbed  Katy,  father's  lap, 
where  none  of  us  ever  sat,  I  am  sure,  and  began  to  coax 
him  to  go,  telling  him  she  should  appear  better  if  he  were 
there,  and  that  she  should  need  him  when  Wilford  left 
her,  as  of  course  he  must  a  part  of  the  time.  And  father 
actually  dressed  himself  and  went.  But  Katy  did  not 
need  him  after  the  people  began  to  understand  that  Mrs. 
Wilford  Cameron  was  the  rage.  Even  ^  Sybil  Grey  in  her 
palmiest  days  never  received  such  homage  as  was  paid  to 
the  little  Silverton  girl,  whose  great  charm  was  her  per 
fect  enjoyment  of  everything,  and  her  perfect  faith  in  what 
people  said  to  her.  Juno  was  nothing  and  I  worse  than 
nothing,  for  I  did  go  after  all,  wearing  a  plain  black  silk, 
with  high  neck  and  long  sleeves,  looking,  as  Juno  said, 
like  a  Sister  of  Charity. 

Lieut.  Bob  was  there,  his  light  hair  lighter  than  ever, 
and  his  chin  as  smooth  as  my  hand.  He  likes  to  dance 
and  I  do  not,  but  somehow  he  persisted  in  staying  where 
I  was,  notwithstanding  that  I  said  my  sharpest  things 
in  hopes  to  get  rid  of  him.  He  left  me  at  last  to  dance 
with  Katy,  who  makes  up  in  grace  and  airiness  what  she 
lacks  in  knowledge.  Once  upon  the  floor  she  did  not  lack 
for  partners,  but  I  verily  believe  danced  every  set,  grow 
ing  prettier  and  fairer  as  she  danced,  for  hers  is  a  com 
plexion  which  does  not  get  red  and  blowsy  with  exercise. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  127 

Mark  Ray  was  there  too,  and  I  saw  him  smile  comi 
cally  when  Katy  met  the  people  with  that  bow  she  was 
making  at  the  time  he  came  so  suddenly  upon  us.  Mark 
is  a  good  fellow,  and  I  really  think  we  have  him  to  thank 
in  a  measure  for  Katy's  successful  debut.  He  was  the 
first  to  take  her  from  Wilford,  walking  with  her  up  and 
down  the  hall  by  way  of  reassuring  her,  and  once  as  they 
passed  me  I  heard  her  say, 

"  I  feel  so  timid  here — so  much  afraid  of  doing  some 
thing  wrong — something  countrified." 

"  Never  mind,"  he  answered.  "  Act  yourself  just  as 
you  would  were  you  at  home  in  Silverton,  where  you  are 
'known.  That  is  far  better  than  affecting  a  manner  not 
natural  to  you." 

After  that  Katy  brightened  wonderfully.  The  stiffness 
which  at  first  was  perceptible  passed  off,  and  she  was 
Katy  Lennox,  queening  it  over  all  the  city  belles,  drawing 
after  her  a  host  of  gentlemen,  and  between  the  sets  hold 
ing  a  miniature  court  at  one  end  of  the  room,  where 
the  more  desirable  of  the  guests  crowded  around,  flattering 
her  until  her  little  head  ought  to  have  been  turned  if  it 
was  not.  To  do  her  justice  she  bore  her  honors  well,  and 
when  we  were  in  the  carriage  and  father  complimented 
her  upon  her  success,  she  only  said, 

"If  I  pleased  you  all  I  am  glad/' 

So  many  calls  as  we  had  the  next  day,  and  so  many 
invitations  as  there  are  now  on  our  table  for  Mrs.  Wil- 
ford  Cameron,  while  our  opera  box  between  the  scenes 
is  packed  with  beaux,  until  one  would  suppose  Wilford 
might  be  jealous;  but  Katy  takes  it  so  quietly  and  mod 
estly,  seeming  only  gratified  for  his  sake,  that  I  really 
believe  he  enjoys  it  more  than  she  does.  At  all  events 
he  persists  in  her  going  even  when  she  would  rather  stay 
at  home,  so  if  she  is  spoiled  the  fault  will  rest  with  him. 

February — th. — Poor  Katy !  Dissipation  is  beginning 
to  wear  upon  her,  for  she  is  not  accustomed  to  our  late 
hours,  and  sometimes  falls  asleep  while  Esther  is  dress 
ing  her.  But  go  she  must,  for  Wilford  wills  it  so,  and 
she  is  but  an  automaton  to  do  his  bidding. 

Why  can't  mother  let  her  alone,  when  everybody  seems 
so  satisfied  with  her?  Somehow  she  does  not  believe  that 


128  The  Cameron  Pride. 

people  are  as  delighted  as  they  pretend,  and  so  she  keeps 
training  and  tormenting  her  until  I  do  not  wonder  that 
Katy  sometimes  hates  to  go  out,  lest  she  shall  uncon 
sciously  be  guilty  of  an  impropriety.  I  pitied  her  last  night 
when,  after  she  was  ready  for  the  opera,  she  came  into 
my  room  where  I  was  indulging  in  the  luxury  of  a  loose 
dressing  gown,  with  my  feet  on  the  sofa.  At  first  I  think 
she  liked  Juno  best,  but  latterly  she  has  taken  to  me,  and 
now  sitting  down  before  the  fire  into  which  her  blue  eyes 
looked  with  a  steady  stare,  she  said, 

te  I  wish  I  might  stay  here  with  you  to-night.  I  have 
heard  this  opera  before,  and  it  will  be  so  tiresome.  I 
get  so  sleepy  while  they  are  singing,  for  I  never  care  to 
watch  the  acting.  I  did  at  first  when  it  was  new,  but  now 
it  seems  insipid  to  see  them  make  believe,  while  the  theatre 
is  worse  yet,"  and  she  gave  a  weary  yawn. 

In  less  than  three  months  she  had  exhausted  fashionable 
life,  and  I  looked  at  her  in  astonishment,  asking  what 
would  please  her  if  the  opera  did  not.  What  would  sh» 
like? 

Turning  her  eyes  full  upon  me,  she  exclaimed, 

"  I  do  like  it  some,  I  suppose,  only  I  get  BO  tired.  I 
like  to  ride,  I  like  to  skate,  I  like  to  shop,  and  all  that,  but 
oh,  you  don't  know  how  I  want  to  go  hpme  to  mother  and 
Helen.  I  have  not  seen  them  for  so  long;  but  I  am  going 
in  the  spring — going  in  May.  How  many  dayt  are  there 
in  March  and  April?  Sixty-one,"  she  continued;  "then 
I  may  safely  say  that  in  eighty  days  I  shall  see  mother, 
and  all  the  dear  old  places.  It  is  not  a  grand  home  like 
this.  You,  Bell,  might  laugh  at  it :  Juno  would,  I  am 
sure,  but  you  do  not  know  how  dear  it  is  to  me,  or  how  I 
long  for  a  sight  of  the  huckleberry  hills  and  the  rocks 
where  Helen  and  I  used  to  play." 

Just  then  Will  called  to  say  the  carriage  was  waiting, 
and  Katy  was  driven  away,  while  I  sat  thinking  of  her, 
and  the  devoted  love  with  which  she  clings  to  her  home  and 
friends,  wondering  if  it  were  the  kindest  thing  which  could 
have  been  done,  transplanting  her  to  our  atmosphere,  so 
different  from  her  own. 

March  1st. — As  it  was  in  the  winter,  so  it  is  now;  Mrs. 
Wilford  Cameron  is  the  rage — the  bright  star  of  society, 


The  Cameron  Pride.  129 

which  quotes  and  pets  and  flatters,  and  even  laughs  at  her 
by  turns;  and  Wilford,  though  still  watchful,  lest  she 
should  do  something  outre,  is  very  proud  of  her,  insisting 
upon  her  accepting  invitations,  sometimes  two  for  one 
evening,  until  the  child  is  absolutely  worn  out,  and  said  to 
me  once  when  I  told  her  how  well  she  was  looking  and  how 
pretty  her  dress  was,  "Yes,  pretty  enough,  but  I  am  so 
tired.  If  I  could  lie  down  on  mother's  bed,  in  a  shilling 
calico,  just  as  I  used  to  do!" 

Mother's  bed  seems  at  present  to  be  the  height  of  her 
ambition — the  thing  she  most  desires ;  and  as  Juno  fancies 
it  must  be  the  feathers  she  is  sighing  for,  she  wickedly 
suggests  that  Wilford  either  buy  a  feather  bed  for  his  wife, 
or  else  send  to  Aunty  Betsy  for  the  one  which  was  to  be 
Katy's  setting  out !  They  go  to  housekeeping  in  May,  and 
on  Madison  Square,  too.  I  think  Wilford  would  quite  as 
soon  remain  with  us,  for  he  does  not  fancy  change;  but 
Katy  wants  a  home  of  her  own,  and  I  never  saw  anything 
more  absolutely  beautiful  than  her  face  when  father  said 
to  Wilford  that  No —  Madison  Square  was  for  sale,  ad 
vising  him  to  secure  it.  But  when  mother  intimated  that 
there  was  no  necessity  for  the  two  families  to  separate  at 
present — that  Katy  was  too  young  to  have  the  charge  of  a 
house — there  came  into  her  eyes  a  look  of  such  distress 
that  it  went  straight  to  father's  heart,  and  calling  her  to 
him,  he  said, 

"  Tell  me,  sunbeam,  what  is  your  choice — to  stay  with 
us,  or  have  a  home  of  your  own  ?  " 

Katy  was  very  white,  and  her  voice  trembled  as  she 
replied, 

"  You  have  been  kind  to  me  here,  and  it  is  very  pleas 
ant;  but  I  guess — I  think — I'm  sure — I  should  like  the 
housekeeping  best.  I  am  not  so  young  either.  Nineteen 
in  July,  and  when  I  go  home  next  month  I  can  learn 
sc  Tiuch  of  Aunt  Betsy  and  Aunt  Hannah." 

uother  looked  at  Wilford  then ;  but  he  was  looking  into 
the  fire  with  an  expression  anything  but  favorable  to  that 
visit  home,  iixed  now  for  April  instead  of  May.  But  Katy 
has  no  discernment,  and  believes  she  is  actually  going  to 
learn  how  to  make  apple  dumplings  and  pumpkin  pies.  In 
spite  of  mother  the  house  is  bought,  and  now  she  is  gone 


130  The  Cameron  Pride. 

all  day  deciding  how  it  shall  be  furnished,  always  leaving 
Katy  out  of  the  question,  as  if  she  were  a  cipher,  and  only 
consulting  Wilford's  choice.  They  will  be  happier  alone,  I 
know.  Mrs.  Gen.  Eeynolds  says  that  it  is  the  way  for 
young  people  to  live;  that  her  son's  wife  shall  never  come 
home  to  her,  for  of  course  their  habits  could  not  be  alike ; 
and  then  she  looked  queerly  at  me,  as  if  she  knew  I  was 
thinking  of  Lieutenant  Bob  and  who  his  wife  might  be. 

Sybil  Grand  on  is  coming  in  April  or  May,  and  Mrs. 
Eeynolds  wonders  will  she  flirt  as  she  used  to  do.  Just 
as  if  Bob  would  care  for  a  widow !  There  is  more  dan 
ger  from  Will,  who  thinks  Mrs.  Grandon  a  perfect  para 
gon,  and  who  is  very  anxious  that  Katy  may  appear  well 
before  her,  saying  nothing  and  doing  nothing  which  shall 
in  any  way  approximate  to  Silverton  and  the  shoes  which 
Katy  told  Esther  she  used  to  bind  when  a  girl.  Will  need 
not  be  disturbed,  for  Sybil  Grandon  was  neyer  half  as 
pretty  as  Katy,  or  half  as  much  admired.  Neither  need 
Mrs.  Gen.  Eeynolds  fret  about  Bob,  as  if  he  would  care  for 
her.  Sybil  Grandon  indeed  ! 


CHAPTEE  XVI. 

KATY. 

MUCH  which  Bell  had  written  of  Katy  was  true.  She 
had  been  in  New  York  nearly  four  months,  drinking  deep 
draughts  from  the  cup  of  folly  and  fashion  held  so  con 
stantly  to  her  lips;  but  she  cloyed  of  it  at  last,  and  what 
at  first  had  been  so  eagerly  grasped,  began,  from  daily 
repetition,  to  grow  insipid  and  dull.  To  be  the  belle  of 
every  place,  to  know  that  her  dress,  her  style,  and  even 
the  fashion  of  her  hair  was  copied  and  admired,  was  grat 
ifying  to  her,  because  she  knew  it  pleased  her  husband, 
who  was  never  happier  or  prouder  than  when,  with  Katy 
on  his  arm,  he  entered  some  crowded  parlor  and  heard  the 
buzz  of  admiration  as  it  circled  round,  while  Katy  smiled 
and  blushed  like  a  little  child,  wondering  at  the  attentions 
lavished  upon  her,  and  attributing  them  mostly  to  her 
husband,  whose  position  she  understood,  marveling  more 
ajid  more  that  he  should  have  chosen  her  to  be  his  wife. 
That  he  had  so  honored  her  made  her  love  him  with  a 


The  Cameron  Pride.  131 

strange  kind  of  grateful,  clinging  love,  which  as  yet  would 
acknowledge  no  fault  in  him,  no  wrong,  no  error;  and  if 
ever  a  shadow  did  cloud  her  heart  she  was  the  one  to 
blame,  not  Wilford;  he  was  right — he  had  idol  she  wor 
shiped — he  the  one  for  whose  sake  she  tried  to  drop  her 
country  ways  and  conform  to  the  rules  his  mother  and 
sister  taught,  submitting  with  the  utmost  good  nature  to 
what  Bell  called  the  drill,  but  never  losing  that  natural, 
playful,  airy  manner  which  so  charmed  the  city  people  and 
made  her  the  reigning  belle.  As  Marian  Hazelton  had  pre 
dicted,  others  than  her  husband  had  spoken  words  of 
praise  in  Katy's  ear;  but  such  was  her  nature  that  the 
shafts  of  flattery  glanced  aside,  leaving  her  unharmed,  so 
that  her  husband,  though  sometimes  disquieted,  had  no 
cause  for  jealousy,  enjoying  Katy's  success  far  more  than 
she  did  herself,  urging  her  out  when  she  would  rather  have 
stayed  at  home,  and  evincing  so  much  annoyance  if  she 
ventured  to  remonstrate,  that  she  gave  it  up  at  last  and 
floated  on  with  the  tide. 

Mrs.  Cameron  had  at  first  been  greatly  shocked  at  Katy's 
want  of  propriety,  looking  on  aghast  when  she  wound  her 
arms  around  Wilford's  neck,  or  sat  upon  his  knee;  but  to 
the  elder  Cameron  the  sight  was  a  pleasant  one,  bringing 
back  sunny  memories  of  a  summer-time  years  ago,  when 
he  was  young,  and  a  fair  bride  had  for  a  few  brief  weeks 
made  this  earth  a  paradise  to  him.  But  fashion  had  en 
tered  his  Eden — that  summer  time  was  gone,  and  only  the 
dun  leaves  of  autumn  lay  where  the  buds  which  promised 
so  much  had  been.  The  girlish  bride  was  a  stately  matron 
now,  doing  nothing  amiss,  but  making  all  her  acts 
conform  to  a  prescribed  rule  of  etiquette,  and  frowning 
majestically  upon  the  frolicsome,  impulsive  Katy,  who  had 
crept  so  far  into  the  heart  of  the  eccentric  man  that  he 
always  found  the  hours  of  her  absence  long,  listening  in 
tently  for  the  sound  of  her  bounding  footsteps,  and  feel 
ing  that  her  coming  to  his  household  had  infused  into  his 
veins  a  better,  healthier  life  than  he  had  known  for  years. 
Katy  was  very  dear  to  him,  and  he  felt  a  thrill  of  pain 
when  first  the  toning  down  process  commenced.  He  had 
heard  them  talk  about  it,  and  in  his  wrath  he  had  hurled 
a  cut-glass  goblet  upon  the  marble  hearth,  breaking  it  in 


132  The  Cameron  Pride. 

atoms,  while  he  called  them  a  pair  of  precious  fools,  and 
Wilford  a  bigger  one  because  he  suffered  it.  So  long  as 
his  convalescence  lasted,  he  was  some  restraint  upon  his 
wife,  but  when  he  was  well  enough  to  resume  his  duties 
in  his  Wall  Street  office,  there  was  nothing  in  the  way,  and 
Katy's  education  progressed  accordingly.  For  Wilford 's 
sake  Katy  would  do  anything,  and  she  submitted  to  much 
which  would  otherwise  have  been  excessively  annoying. 
But  she  was  growing  tired  now,  and  it  told  upon  her 
face,  which  was  whiter  than  when  she  came  to  New  York, 
while  her  figure  was,  if  possible,  slighter  and  more  airy ; 
but  this  only  enhanced  her  loveliness,  Wilford  thought, 
and  so  he  paid  no  heed  to  her  complaints  of  weariness,  but 
kept  her  in  the  circle  which  welcomed  her  so  warmly,  and 
would  have  missed  her  so  much. 

Little  by  little  it  had  come  to  Katy  that  she 'was  not 
quite  as  comfortable  in  her  husband's  family  as  she  would 
be  in  a  house  of  her  own.  The  constant  watch  kept  over 
her  by  Mrs.  Cameron  and  Juno  irritated  and  fretted  her, 
making  her  wonder  what  was  the  matter,  and  why  she 
should  so  often  feel  lonely  and  desolate  when  surrounded 
by  every  luxury  which  wealth  could  purchase.  "  It  is  his 
folks,"  she  always  said  to  herself  when  cogitating  upon  the 
subject.  "  Alone  with  Wilford  I  shall  feel  as  light  and 
happy  as  I  did  in  Silverton." 

And  so  Katy  caught  eagerly  at  the  prospect  of  a  release 
from  the  restraint  of  No. — ,  seeming  so  anxious  that  Wil 
ford,  almost  before  he  was  aware  of  it  himself,  became  the 
owner  of  one  of  the  most  desirable  situations  on  Madison 
Square.  Of  all  the  household  after  Katy,  Juno  was  per 
haps  the  only  one  glad  of  the  new  house.  It  would  be  a 
change  for  herself,  for  she  meant  to  spend  much  of  her 
time  on  Madison  Square,  where  everything  was  to  be  on 
the  most  magnificent  style.  Fortunately  for  Katy,  she 
knew  nothing  of  Juno's  intentions  and  built  castles  of  her 
new  home,  where  mother  could  come  with  Helen  and  Dr. 
Grant.  Somehow  she  never  saw  Uncle  Ephraim,  nor  his 
wife,  nor  Aunt  Betsy  there.  She  knew  how  out  of  place 
they  would  appear,  and  how  they  would  annoy  Wilford; 
but  surely  to  her  mother  and  Helen  there  could  be  no  ob 
jection,  and  when  she  first  went  over  the  house  she  desig- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  133 

nated  this  room  as  mother's,,  and  another  one  as  Helen's, 
thinking  how  each  should  be  fitted  up  with  direct  refer 
ence  to  their  tastes,  Helen's  containing  a  great  many  books, 
while  her  mother's  should  have  easy-chairs  and  lounges, 
with  a  host  of  drawers  for  holding  things.  And  Wilford 
heard  it  all,  making  no  reply,  but  considering  how  he  could 
manage  best  so  as  to  have  no  scene,  for  he  had  not  the 
slightest  intention  of  inviting  either  Mrs.  Lennox  or  Helen 
to  vist  him,  much  less  to  become  a  part  of  his  household. 
That  he  did  not  marry  Katy's  relatives  was  a  fact  as  fixed 
as  the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  and  Katy's  antici 
pations  were  answering  no  other  purpose  than  to  divert 
her  mind  for  the  time  being,  keeping  her  bright  and  cheer 
ful. 

Very  pleasant  indeed  were  the  pictures  Katy  drew  of 
the  new  house  where  Helen  was  to  come,  but  pleasanter 
far  were  her  pictures  of  that  visit  to  Silverton,  to  occur  in 
April.  Poor  Katy !  how  much  she  thought  about  that  visit 
when  she  should  see  them  all  and  go  with  Uncle  Ephraim 
down  into  the  meadows,  making  believe  she  was  Katy  Len 
nox  still — when  she  could  climb  the  ladder  in  the  barn 
after  new-laid  eggs,  or  steal  across  the  fields  to  Lin  wood, 
talking  with  Morris  as  she  used  to  talk  in  the  days  which 
seemed  so  long  ago.  Morris  she  feared  was  not  liking  her 
as  well  as  of  old,  thinking  her  very  frivolous  and  silly,  for 
he  had  only  written  her  one  short  note  in  reply  to  the  letter 
she  had  sent,  telling  him  of  the  parties  she  had  attended, 
and  the  gay,  nappy  life  she  led,  for  to  him  she  would  not 
then  confess  that  in  her  cup  of  ,joy  there  was  a  single 
bitter  dreg.  All  was  bright  and  fair,  she  said,  and  Morris 
had  replied  that  he  was  glad,  "But  do  not  forget  that 
death  can  find  you  even  amid  your  splendor,  or  that  after 
death  the  judgment  comes,  and  then  what  shall  it  profit 
you  if  you  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  your  own  soul/' 

These  words  had  rung  in  Katy's  ears  for  many  a  day, 
following  her  to  the  dance  and  to  the  opera,  where  even 
the  music  was  drowned  by  the  echo  of  the  words,  "lose 
your  own  soul."  But  the  sting  grew  less  and  less,  till 
Katy  no  longer  felt  it,  and  now  was  only  anxious  to  talk 
with  Morris  and  convince  him  that  she  was  not  as  thought 
less  as  he  might  suppose,  that  she  still  remembered  his 


134  The  Cameron  Pride. 

teachings,  and  tho  little  church  in  the  valley,  preferring 
it  to  the  handsome,  aristocratic  house  where  she  went  with 
the  Camerons  once  on  every  Sunday. 

"  One  more  week  and  then  it  is  April,"  she  said  to 
Wilford  one  evening  after  they  had  retired  to  their  room, 
and  she  was  talking  of  Silverton.  "  I  guess  we'd  better 
go  about  the  tenth.  Shall  you  stay  as  long  as  I  do  ?  " 

Wilford  bit  his  lip,  and  after  a  moment  replied, 

"  I  have  been  talking  with  mother,  and  we  think  April 
is  not  a  good  time  for  you  to  be  in  the  country;  it  is  so 
wet  and  cold,  and  I  want  you  here  to  help  order  our  fur 
niture." 

"Oh,  Wilford!"  and  Katy's  voice  trembled,  for  from 
past  experience  she  knew  that  for  Wilford  to  object  to 
her  plans  was  equivalent  to  a  refusal,  and  her  heart 
throbbed  with  disappointment  as  she  tried  to  listen  while 
Wilford  urged  many  reasons  why  she  should  not  go,  con 
vincing  her  at  last  that  of  all  times  for  visiting  Silverton, 
spring  was  the  worst;  that  summer  or  autumn  were  bet 
ter,  and  that  it  was  her  duty  to  remain  where  she  was  until 
such  time  as  he  saw  fit  for  her  to  do  otherwise. 

This  was  the  meaning  of  what  he  said,  and  though  his 
manner  was  guarded,  and  his  words  kind,  they  were  very 
conclusive,  and  with  one  gasping  sob  Katy  gave  up  Sil 
verton,  charging  it  more  to  Mrs.  Cameron  than  to  Wil 
ford,  and  writing  next  day  to  Helen  that  she  could  not 
come  just  then,  but  that  after  she  was  settled  they  might 
surely  expect  her. 

With  a  bitter  pang  Helen  read  this  letter  to  the  three 
women  who  had  anticipated  Katy's  visit  so  much,  and 
each  of  whom  cried  quietly  over  her  disappointment,  while 
Uncle  Ephraim  went  back  to  his  work  that  afternoon  with 
a  heavy  heart,  for  now  his  labor  was  not  lightened  by 
thoughts  of  Katy's  being  there  so  soon. 

"  Please  God  she  may  come  to  us  sometime,"  he  said, 
pausing  beneath  the  butternut  in  the  meadow,  and  remem 
bering  just  how  Katy  looked  on  that  first  day  of  her  re 
turn  from  Canandaigua,  when  she  sat  on  the  flat  stone 
while  he  piled  up  his  hay  and  talked  with  her  of  different 
paths  through  life,  one  of  which  she  must  surely  tread. 

She  had  said,  "  I  will  choose  the  straight  and  pleasant," 


The  Cameron  Pride.  135 

and  some  would  think  she  had;  but  Uncle  Ephraim  was 
not  so  sure,  and  leaning  against  a  tree,  he  asked  silently 
that  whether  he  ever  saw  his  darling  again  or  not,  God 
would  care  for  her  and  keep  her  unspotted  from  the 
world. 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

THE  NEW  HOUSE. 

IT  was  a  cruel  thing  for  Wilford  Cameron  to  try  to 
separate  Katy  from  the  hearts  which  loved  her  so  much; 
and,  as  if  he  felt  reproached,  there  was  an  increased  tender 
ness  in  his  manner  towards  her,  particularly  as  he  saw 
how  sad  she  was  for  a  few  days  after  his  decision.  But 
Katy  could  not  be  sorry  long,  and  in  the  excitement  of 
settling  the  new  house  her  spirits  rallied,  and  her  merry 
laugh  trilled  like  a  bird  through  the  rooms  where  the  work 
men  were  so  busy,  and  where  Mrs.  Cameron  was  the  real 
superintendent,  though  there  was  sometimes  a  show  of 
consulting  Katy,  who  nevertheless  was  a  mere  cipher  in 
the  matter.  In  everything  the  mother  had  her  way,  until 
it  came  to  the  room  designed  for  Helen,  and  which  Mrs. 
Cameron  was  for  converting  into  a  kind  of  smoking  or 
lounging  room  for  Wilford  and  his  associates.  Katy  must 
not  expect  him  to  be  always  as  devoted  to  her  as  he  had 
been  during  the  winter,  she  said.  He  had  a  great  many 
bachelor  friends,  and  now  that  he  had  a  house  of  his  own, 
it  was  natural  that  he  should  have  some  place  where  they 
could  spend  an  hour  or  so  with  him  without  the  restraint 
of  ladies'  society,  and  this  was  just  the  room — large,  airy, 
quiet,  and  so  far  from  the  parlors  that  the  odor  of  the 
smoke  could  not  reach  them. 

Katy  had  submitted  to  much  without  knowing  that  she 
was  submitting;  but  something  Bell  had  dropped  that 
morning  had  awakened  a  suspicion  that  possibly  she  was 
being  ignored,  and  the  wicked  part  of  Helen  would  have 
enjoyed  the  look  in  her  eye  as  she  said,  not  to  Mrs.  Cam 
eron,  but  to  Wilford,  "  I  have  from  the  very  first  decided 
this  chamber  for  Helen,  and  I  cannot  give  it  up  for  a 
smoking  room.  You  never  had  one  at  home.  Why  did 
you  not,  if  it  is  so  necessary  ?  " 


136  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Wilford  could  not  tell  her  that  his  mother  would  as 
soon  have  brought  into  her  house  one  of  Barnum's  shows, 
as  to  have  had  a  room  set  apart  for  smoking,  which  she 
specially  disliked;  neither  could  he  at  once  reply  at  all, 
so  astonished  was  he  at  this  sudden  flash  of  spirit.  Mrs. 
Cameron  was  the  first  to  rally,  and  in  her  usual  quiet  tone 
she  said,  "  I  did  not  know  that  your  sister  was  to  form 
a  part  of  your  household.  When  do  you  expect  her  ?  "  and 
her  cold  gray  eyes  rested  steadily  upon  Katy,  who  never 
before  so  fully  realized  the  distance  there  was  between  her 
husband's  friends  and  her  own.  But  as  the  worm  will  turn 
when  trampled  on,  so  Katy,  though  hitherto  powerless  to 
defend  herself,  roused  in  Helen's  behalf,  and  in  a  tone  as 
quiet  and  decided  as  that  of  her  mother-in-law,  replied, 
"  She  will  come  whenever  I  write  for  her.  It  was  arranged 
from  the  first.  Wasn't  it,  Wilford  ?  "  and  she  turned  to 
her  husband,  who,  unwilling  to  decide  between  a  wife  he 
loved  and  a  mother  whose  judgment  he  considered  infal 
lible,  affected  not  to  hear  her,  and  stole  from  the  room, 
followed  by  Mrs.  Cameron,  so  that  Katy  was  left  mistress 
of  the  field. 

After  that  no  one  interfered  in  her  arrangement  of 
Helen's  room,  which,  with  far  less  expense  than  Mrs. 
Cameron  would  have  done,  she  fitted  up  so  cosily  that 
Wilford  pronounced  it  the  pleasantest  room  in  the  house, 
while  Bell  went  into  ecstasies  over  it,  and  even  Juno  might 
have  unbent  enough  to  praise  it,  were  it  not  for  Mark  Eay, 
who,  from  being  tacitly  claimed  by  Juno,  was  frequently 
admitted  to  their  counsels,  and  had  asked  the  privilege  of 
contributing  to  Helen's  room  a  handsome  volume  of  Ger 
man  poetry,  such  as  he  fancied  she  might  enjoy.  So  long 
as  Mark's  attentions  were  not  bestowed  in  any  other  quar 
ter  Juno  was  comparatively  satisfied,  but  the  moment  he 
swerved  a  hair's  breadth  from  the  line  she  had  marked  out, 
her  anger  was  aroused;  and  now,  remembering  his  com 
mendations  of  Helen  Lennox,  she  hated  her  as  cordially  as 
one  jealous  girl  can  hate  another  whom  she  has  not  seen, 
making  Katy  so  uncomfortable,  without  knowing  what  was 
the  matter,  that  she  hailed  the  morning  of  her  exit  from 
No. as  the  brightest  since  her  marriage. 

It  was  a  very  happy  day  for  Katy,  and  when  she  first 


The  Cameron  Pride.  137 

sat  down  to  dinner  in  her  own  home,  her  face  shone  with 
a  joy  which  even  the  presence  of  her  mother-in-law  could 
not  materially  lessen.  She  would  rather  have  been  alone 
with  Wilford,  it  is  true,  but  as  her  choice  was  not  con 
sulted  she  submitted  cheerfully,  proudly  taking  her  right 
ful  place  at  the  table,  and  doing  the  honors  so  well  that 
Mrs.  Cameron,  in  speaking  of  it  to  her  daughters,  acknowl 
edged  that  Wilford  had  little  to  fear  if  Katy  always  ap 
peared  as  much  at  ease  as  she  did  that  day.  A  thought 
similar  to  this  passed  through  the  mind  of  Wilford,  \,ho 
was  very  observant  of  such  matters,  and  that  night,  after 
his  mother  was  gone,  he  warmly  commended  Katy,  but 
spoiled  the  pleasure  his  commendations  would  have  given 
by  telling  her  next,  as  if  one  thought  suggested  the  other, 
that  Sybil  Grandon  had  returned,  that  he  saw  her  on 
Broadway,  accepting  her  invitation  to  a  seat  in  her  car 
riage  which  brought  him  to  his  door.  She  had  made  many 
inquiries  concerning  Katy,  expressing  a  great  curiosity  to 
see  her,  and  saying  that  as  she  drove  past  the  house  that 
morning,  she  was  strongly  tempted  to  waive  all  ceremony 
and  run  in,  knowing  she  should  be  pardoned  for  the  sake 
of  Auld  Lang  Syne,  when  she  was  privileged  to  take  lib 
erties  with  the  Camerons.  All  this  Wilford  repeated  to 
Katy,  but  he  did  not  tell  her  how  at  the  words  Auld  Lang 
Syne,  Sybil  had  turned  her  fine  eyes  upon  him  with  an  ex 
pression  which  made  him  color,  for  he  knew  she  was  refer 
ring  to  the  time  when  her  name  and  his  were  always  coupled 
together. 

Katy  had  dreaded  the  return  of  Sybil  Grandon,  of  whom 
she  had  heard  so  much,  and  now  that  she  had  come,  she 
felt  for  a  moment  a  terror  of  meeting  her  which  she  tried 
to  shake  off,  succeeded  at  last,  for  perfect  faith  in  Wilford 
was  to  her  a  strong  shield  of  defence,  and  her  only  trouble 
was  a  fear  lest  she  should  fall  in  the  scale  of  comparison 
which  might  be  instituted  between  herself  and  Mrs. 
Grandon,  who  after  a  few  days  ceased  to  be  a  bugbear, 
Wilford  never  mentioning  her  again,  and  Katy  only  hearing 
of  her  through  Juno  and  Bell,  the  first  of  whom  went  into 
raptures  over  her,  while  the  latter  styled  her  a  silly,  co 
quettish  widow,  who  would  appear  much  better  to'  have 
worn  her  weeds  a  little  longer,  and  not  throw  herself  quite 


138  The  Cameron  Pride. 

so  soon  into  the  market.  That  she  should  of  course  meet 
her  some  time,  Katy  knew,  but  she  would  not  distress  her 
self  till  the  time  arrived,  and  so  she  dismissed  her  fears, 
or  rather  lost  them  in  the  excitement  of  her  new  dignity 
as  mistress  of  a  house. 

In  her  girlhood  Katy  had  evinced  a  taste  for  house 
keeping,  which  now  developed  so  rapidly  that  she  won  the 
y^pect  of  all  the  servants,  from  the  man  who  answered  the 
jell  to  the  accomplished  cook,  hired  by  Mrs.  Cameron,  and 
who,  like  most  accomplished  cooks,  was  sharp  and  cross  and 
opinionated,  but  who  did  not  find  it  easy  to  scold  the  blithe 
little  woman  who  every  morning  came  flitting  into  her 
dominions,  not  asking  what  they  would  have  for  dinner,  as 
she  had  been  led  to  suppose  she  would,  but  ordering  it  with 
a  matter  of  course  air,  which  amused  the  usually  overbear 
ing  Mrs.  Phillips.  But  when  the  little  lady,  rolling  her 
sleeves  above  her  dimpled  elbows  and  donning  the  clean 
white  apron  which  Phillips  was  reserving  for  afternoon, 
announced  her  intention  of  surprising  Wilf  ord,  with  a  pud 
ding  such  as  Aunt  Betsy  used  to  make,  there  were  signs 
of  rebellion,  Phillips  telling  her  bluntly  that  she  couldn't 
be  bothered — that  it  was  not  a  lady's  place  in  the  kitchen 
under  foot — that  the  other  Mrs.  Cameron  never  did  it,  and 
would  not  like  it  in  Mrs.  Wilford.  * 

For  a  moment  Katy  paused  and  looked  straight  at  Mrs. 
Phillips;  then  said,  quietly,  "I  have  only  six  eggs  here — 
the  recipe  is  ten.  Bring  me  four  more,  please.'* 

There  was  something  in  the  blue  eyes  which  compelled 
obedience,  and  the  dessert  progressed  without  another  word 
of  remonstrance.  But  when  the  door  bell  rang,  and  word 
came  down  that  there  were  ladies  in  the  parlor — Juno, 
with  some  one  else — Phillips  would  not  tell  her  of  the 
•flour  on  her  hair;  and  as  Katy,  after  casting  aside  her 
apron  and  putting  down  her  sleeves,  only  glanced  hastily 
at  herself  In  the  hall  mirror  as  she  passed  it,  she  appeared 
in  the  parlor  with  this  mark  upon  her  curls,  and  greatly 
to  her  astonishment  was  presented  to  "  Mrs.  Sybil 
Grandon,"  Juno  explaining,  that  as  Sybil  was  anxious  to 
see  her,  and  they  were  passing  the  house,  she  had  pre 
sumed  upon  her  privilege  as  a  sister  and  brought  her  in. 

For  a  moment  the  room  turned  dark,  it  was  so  sudden, 


The  Cameron  Pride.  139 

so  unexpected,  and  she  so  unprepared;  but  Sybil's  famil 
iar  manner  quieted  her,  and  she  was  able  at  last  to  look 
fully  at  her  visitor,  finding  her  not  as  handsome  as  she 
expected,  nor  as  young,  but  in  all  other  respects  she  had 
not  perhaps  been  exaggerated.  Cultivated  and  self-pos 
sessed,  she  was  very  pleasing  in  her  manner,  making  Katy 
feel  wholly  at  ease  by  a  few  well-timed  compliments,  which 
had  th«  merit  of  seeming  genuine,  so  perfect  was  she  in 
the  art  of  deception. 

To  Katy  she  was  very  gracious,  admiring  her  house,  ad 
miring  herself,  admiring  everything,  until  Katy  wondered 
how  she  could  ever  have  dreaded  to  meet  her,  laughing  and 
chatting  as  familiarly  as  if  the  fashionable  woman  were 
not  criticising  every  movement,  and  every  act,  and  every 
feature  of  her  face,  wondering  most  at  the  flour  upon  her 
hair! 

Juno  wondered,  too,  but  knowing  Katy's  domestic  pro 
pensities,  suspected  the  truth,  and  feigning  some  errand 
with  Phillips,  she  excused  herself  for  a  moment  and  de 
scended  to  the  kitchen,  where  she  was  not  long  in  hearing 
about  Katy's  "  queer  ways,  coming  where  she  was  not 
needed,  and  making  country  puddings  after  some  heathen 
ish  aunt's  rule." 

"  Was  it  Aunt  Betsy  ?  "  Juno  asked,  her  face  betoken 
ing  its  disgust  when  told  that  she  was  right,  and  her 
manner  on  her  return  to  the  parlor  was  very  frigid  towards 
Katy,  who  had  discovered  the  flour  on  her  hair,  and  was 
laughing  merrily  over  it,  telling  Sybil  how  it  happened — 
how  cross  Phillips  was — and  lastly,  how  "  our  folks  "  often 
made  the  pudding,  and  that  was  why  she  wished  to  sur 
prise  Wilford  with  it. 

There  was  a  sarcastic  smile  upon  Sybil's  lip  as  she  wished 
Mrs.  Cameron  success  and  then  departed,  leaving  Katy  to 
finish  the  dessert,  which,  when  ready  for  the  table,  was  cer 
tainly  very  inviting,  and  would  have  tempted  the  appetite 
of  any  man  who  had  not  been  listening  to  gossip  not  wholly 
conducive  to  his  peace  of  mind. 

On  his  way  home  Wilford  had  stopped  at  his  fathers, 
where  Juno  was  relating  the  particulars  of  her  call  upon 
his  wife,  and  as  she  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  stop  for 
him,  he  heard  of  Katy's  misdoings,  and  her  general  ap- 


140  The  Cameron  Pride. 

pearanee  in  the  presence  of  Sybil  Grandon,  whom  she  en 
tertained  with  a  description  of  "  our  folks'  "  favorite  dishes, 
together  with  Aunt  Betsy's  recipes.  This  was  the  straw 
too  many,  and  since  his  marriage  Wilford  had  not  been  as 
angry  as  he  was  while  listening  to  Juno,  who  reported 
Sybil's  verdict  on  his  wife,  "  A  domestic  little  body  and 
very  pretty/' 

Wilford  did  not  care  to  have  his  wife  domestic;  he  did 
not  marry  her  for  that,  and  in  a  mood  anything  but  favor 
able  to  the  light,  delicate  dessert  Katy  had  prepared  with 
so  much  care,  he  went  to  his  luxurious  home,  where  Katy 
ran  as  usual  to  meet  him,  her  face  brimming  with  the 
surprise  she  had  in  store  for  him,  and  herself  so  much  ex 
cited  that  she  did  not  at  first  observe  the  cloud  upon  his 
brow,  as  he  moodily  answered  her  rapid  questions.  When 
the  important  moment  arrived,  and  the  dessert  was  brought 
on,  he  promptly  declined  it,  even  after  her  explanation 
that  she  made  it  herself,  urging  him  to  try  it  for  the  sake 
of  pleasing  her,  if  nothing  more.  But  Wilford  was  not 
hungry  then,  and  even  had  he  been,  he  would  have  chosen 
anything  before  a  pudding  made  from  a  recipe  of  Betsy 
Barlow,  so  the  dessert  was  untasted  even  by  Katy  herself, 
who,  knowing  now  that  something  had  gone  wrong,  sat 
fighting  back  her  tears  until  the  servant  left  the  room, 
when  she  timidly  asked,  " What  is  it,  Wilford?  What 

makes  you  seem  so "  She  would  not  say  cross,  and  so 

substituted  "  queer,"  while  Wilford  plunged  at  once  into 
the  matter  by  saying,  "Juno  tells  me  she  called  here  this 
afternoon  with  Mrs.  Grandon." 

"  Yes,  I  forgot  to  mention  it,"  Katy  answered,  feeling 
puzzled  to  know  why  that  should  annoy  her  husband; 
but  his  next  remarks  disclosed  the  whole,  and  Katy's  tears 
flowed  fast  as  Wilford  asked  what  she  supposed  Mrs. 
Grandon  thought,  to  see  his  wife  looking  as  if  fresh  from 
the  flour  barrel,  and  to  hear  her  talk  about  Aunt  Betsy's 
recipes  and  "  our  folks."  "  That  is  a  bad  habit  of  yours, 
Katy,"'  he  continued,  "one  of  which  I  wish  you  to  break 
yourself,  if  possible.  I  have  never  spoken  to  you  directly 
on  the  subject  before,  but  it  annovs  me  exceedingly,  inas 
much  as  it  is  an  indication  of  low  breeding." 

There  was  no  answer  from  Katy,  whose  heart  was  too 


The  Cameron  Pride.  141 

full  to  speak,  and  so  Wilford  went  on,  "  Our  servants  were 
selected  by  mother  with  a  direct  reference  to  your  youth 
and  inexperience,  and  it  is  not  necessary  for  you  to  fre 
quent  the  kitchen,  or,  indeed,  to  go  there  oftener  than  once 
a  week.  Let  them  come  to  you  for  orders,  not  you  go  to 
them.  Neither  need  you  speak  quite  so  familiarly  to  them, 
treating  them  almost  as  if  they  were  your  equals.  Try  to 
remember  your  true  position — that  whatever  you  may  have 
been  you  are  now  Mrs.  Wilford  Cameron,  equal  to  any 
lady  in  New  York." 

They  were  in  the  library  now,  and  the  soft  May  breeze 
came  stealing  through  the  open  window,  stirring  the  fleecy 
curtains  and  blowing  across  the  tasteful  bouquet  which 
Katy  had  arranged ;  but  Katy  was  too  wretched  to  care  for 
her  surroundings.  It  was  the  first  time  Wilford  had  ever 
spoken  to  her  in  just  this  way,  and  his  manner  hurt  her 
more  than  his  words,  making  her  feel  as  if  she  were  an 
ignorant,  ill-bred  creature,  whom  he  had  raised  to  a  posi 
tion  she  did  not  know  how  to  fill.  It  was  cruel  thus  to 
repay  her  attempts  to  please,  and  so,  perhaps,  Wilford 
thought,  as  with  folded  arms  he  sat  looking  at  her  weeping 
so  bitterly  upon  the  sofa ;  but  he  was  too  indignant  to  make 
any  concession  then,  and  he  suffered  her  to  weep  in  silence 
until  he  remembered  that  his  mother  had  requested  him  to 
bring  her  round  that  evening,  as  they  were  expecting  a 
few  of  Juno's  friends,  n^d  among  them  Sybil  Grand  on. 
If  Katy  went  he  wished  her  to  look  her  best,  and  he  un 
bent  so  far  as  to  try  to  check  her  tears.  But  Katy  could 
not  stop,  and  she  wept  so  passionately  that  Wilford's  anger 
subsided,  leaving  only  tenderness  and  pity  for  the  wife  he 
soothed  and  caressed,  until  the  sobbing  ceased,  and  Katy 
lay  passively  in  his  arms,  her  face  so  white,  and  the  dark 
rings  about  her  eyes  showing  so  distinctly  that  Wilford  did 
not  press  her  when  she  declined  his  mother's  invitation. 
He  could  go,  she  said,  urging  so  many  reasons  why  he 
should  that,  for  the  first  time  since  their  marriage,  he  left 
her  alone,  and  went  where  Sybil  Grandon  smiled  her  sunni 
est  smile,  and  put  forth  her  most  persuasive  powers  to  keep 
him  at  her  side,  expressing  so  much  regret  that  he  did  not 
bring  "his  charming  little  wife,  who  completely  won  her 
heart,  she  was  so  child-like  and  simple-hearted,  laughing 


142  The  Cameron  Pride. 

so  merrily  when  she  discovered  the  flour  on  her  hair,  but 
not  seeming  to  mind  it  in  the  least.  Keally,  she  did  not 
see  how  it  happened  that  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  win 
such  a  domestic  treasure.  Where  did  he  find  her  ?  " 

If  Sybil  G-randon  meant  this  to  be  complimentary,  it 
was  not  received  as  such.  Wilford,  almost  grating  his 
teeth  with  vexation  as  he  listened  to  it,  and  feeling  doubly 
mortified  with  Katy,  whom  he  found  waiting  for  him, 
when  at  a  late  hour  he  left  the  society  of  Sybil  Grandon 
and  repaired  to  his  home. 

To  Katy  the  time  of  his  absence  had  seemed  an  age, 
for  her  thoughts  had  been  busy  with  the  past,  gathering 
up  every  incident  connected  with  her  married  life  since 
she  came  to  New  York,  and  deducing  from  them  the  con 
clusion  that  "  Wilford's  folks  "  were  ashamed  of  her,  and 
that  Wilford  himself  might  perhaps  become  so  if  he  were 
not  already.  That  would  be  worse  than  death  itself,  and 
the  darkest  hours  she  had  ever  known  were  those  she  spent 
alone  that  night,  sobbing  so  violently  as  to  bring  on  a 
racking  headache,  which  showed  itself  upon  her  face  and 
touched  Wilford  at  once. 

Sybil  Grandon  was  forgotten  in  those  moments  of  con 
trition,  when  he  ministered  so  tenderly  to  his  suffering 
wife,  whom  he  felt  that  he  had  wronged.  But  he  could 
not  tell  her  so  then.  It  was  not  natural  for  him  to  confess 
his  errors.  There  had  always  been  a  struggle  between  his 
duty  and  his  pride  when  he  had  done  so,  and  now  the 
latter  conquered,  especially  as  Katy,  grown  more  calm, 
began  to  take  the  censure  to  herself,  lamenting  her  short 
comings,  and  promising  to  do  better,  even  to  the  imitating 
of  Sybil  Grandon,  if  that  would  make  him  forget  the  past 
and  love  her  as  before. 

Wilford  could  accord  forgiveness  far  more  graciously 
than  he  could  ask  it,  and  so  peace  was  restored,  and 
Katy's  face  next  day  looked  bright  and  happy  when  seen 
in  her  new  carriage,  which  took  her  down  Broadway  to 
Stewart's,  where  she  encountered  Sybil  Grandon,  and  with 
her  Juno  Cameron. 

From  the  latter  Katy  instinctively  shrank,  but  she  could 
not  resist  the  former,  who  greeted  her  so  familiarly  that 
Katy  readily  forgave  her  the  pain  of  which  she  had  been 


The  Cameron  Pride.  143 

the  cause,  and  spoke  of  her  to  Wilford  without  a  pang 
when  he  came  home  to  dinner.  Still  she  could  not  over 
come  her  dread  of  meeting  her,  and  she  grew  more  and 
more  averse  to  mingling  in  society,  where  she  might  do 
many  things  to  mortify  her  husband  or  his  family,  and 
thus  provoke  a  scene  she  hoped  never  again  to  pass  through. 

"  Oh,  if  Helen  were  only  here !  "  she  thought,  as  she 
began  to  experience  a  sensation  of  loneliness  she  had  never 
felt  before. 

But  Helen  was  not  there,  nor  coming  there  at  present. 
One  word  from  Wilford  had  settled  that,  convincing  Katy 
that  it  was  better  to  wait  until  the  autumn,  inasmuch  as 
they  were  going  so  soon  to  Saratoga  and  Newport,  places 
which  Katy  dreaded,  after  she  knew  that  Mrs.  Cameron 
and  Juno  were  to  be  of  the  party,  and  probably  Sybil 
Grandon.  Katy  did  not  dislike  the  latter,  but  she  was 
never  easy  in  her  presence,  while  she  could  not  deny  to 
herself  that  since  Sybil's  return  Wilford  had  not  been 
quite  the  same  as  before.  In  company  he  was  more  at 
tentive  than  ever,  but  at  home  he  was  sometimes  moody  and 
silent,  while  Katy  strove  in  vain  to  ascertain  the  cause. 

They  were  not  as  happy  in  the  new  home  as  she  had 
expected  to  be,  but  the  fault  did  not  lie  with  Katy.  She 
performed  her  part  and  more,  taking  upon  her  young 
shoulders  the  whole  of  the  burden  which  her  husband 
should  have  helped  her  to  bear.  The  easy,  indolent  life 
Wilford  had  led  so  long  as  a  petted  son  of  a  partial  mother 
unfitted  him  for  care,  and  he  was  as  much  a  boarder  in  his 
own  home  as  he  had  even  been  in  the  hotels  in  Paris, 
thoughtlessly  requiring  of  Katy  more  than  he  should  have 
required,  so  that  Bell  was  not  far  from  right  when  in  her 
journal  she  described  her  sister-in-law  as  "  a  little  servant 
whose  feet  were  never  supposed  to  be  tired,  and  whose 
wishes  were  never  consulted."  It  is  true  Bell  had  put  it 
rather  strongly,  but  the  spirit  of  what  she  said  was  right, 
Wilford  seldom  considering  Katy,  or  allowing  her  wishes 
to  interfere  with  his  own  plans ;  while  accustomed  to  every 
possible  attention  from  his  mother,  he  exacted  the  s^me 
from  his  wife,  whose  life  was  not  one  of  unmixed  hap 
piness,  notwithstanding  that  every  letter  home  bore  assur 
ances  to  the  contrary. 


144  The  Cameion  Pride. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

MARIAN    HAZLETON. 

THE  last  days  of  June  had  come,  and  Wilford  wa« 
beginning  to  make  arrangements  for  removing  Katy  from 
the  city  before  the  warmer  weather.  To  this  he  had  been 
urged  by  Mark  Ray's  remarking  that  Katy  was  not  look 
ing  as  well  as  when  he  first  saw  her,  one  year  ago.  "  She 
has  grown  thin  and  pale,"  he  said.  "  Had  Wilford 
remarked  it?" 

Wilford  had  not.  She  complained  much  of  headache, 
but  that  was  only  natural.  Still  he  wrote  to  the  Moun 
tain  House  that  afternoon  to  secure  rooms  for  himself 
and  wife,  and  then  at  an  earlier  hour  than  usual  went 
home  to  tell  her  of  the  arrangement.  Katy  was  out 
shopping,  Esther  said,  and  had  not  yet  returned,  adding, 

"  There  is  a  note  for  her  up  stairs,  left  by  a  woman  who 
I  guess  came  for  work." 

That  a  woman  should  come  for  work  was  not  strange, 
but  that  she  should  leave  a  note  seemed  rather  too  familiar; 
and  when  on  going  to  the  library  he  saw  it  upon  the  table, 
he  took  it  in  his  hand  and  examined  the  superscription 
closely,  holding  it  up  to  the  light  and  forgetting  to  open 
it  in  his  perplexity  and  the  train  of  thought  it  awakened. 

"  They  are  singularly  alike/'  he  said,  and  still  holding 
the  note  in  his  hand  he  opened  a  drawer  of  his  writing 
desk,  which  was  always  kept  locked,  and  took  from  it  a 
picture  and  a  bit  of  soiled  paper,  on  which  was  written, 
"  I  am  not  guilty,  Wilford,  and  God  will  never  forgive  the 
wrong  you  have  done  to  me." 

There  was  no  name  or  date,  but  Wilford  knew  whose 
hand  had  penned  those  linen,  and  he  sat  comparing  them 
with  the  "  Mrs.  Wilford  Cameron "  which  the  strange 
woman  had  written.  Then  opening  the  note,  he  read  that, 
having  returned  to  New  York,  and  wishing  employment 
either  as  seamstress  or  dressmaker,  Marian  Hazelton  had 
ventured  to  call  upon  Mrs.  Cameron,  remembering  her 
promise  to  give  her  work  if  she  should  desire  it. 


The  Cameron  Pride. 

"  Who  is  Marian  Hazelton  ?  "  Wilf  ord  asked  himself  as 
he  threw  down  the  missive.  "  Some  of  Katy's  country 
friends,  I  dare  say.  Seems  to  me  I  have  heard  that  name. 
She  certainly  writes  as  Genevra  did,  except  that  this  Haz- 
elton's  is  more  decided  and  firm.  Poor  Genevra !  " 

There  was  a  pallor  about  Wilford's  lips  as  he  said  this, 
and  taking  up  the  picture  he  gazed  for  a  long  time  upon 
the  handsome,  girlish  face,  whose  dark  eyes  seemed  to 
look  reproachfully  upon  him,  just  as  they  must  have  looked 
when  the  words  were  penned,  "God  will  never  forJve 
the  wrong  you  have  done  to  me." 

"  Genevra  was  mistaken,"  he  said.  "  At  least  if  God 
has  not  forgiven,  he  has  prospered  me,  which  amounts 
to  the  same  thing;"  and  without  a  single  throb  of  grati 
tude  to  Him  who  had  thus  prospered  him,  Wilford  laid 
Genevra's  picture  and  Genevra's  note  back  with  the  with 
ered  grass  and  flowers  plucked  from  Genevra's  grave, 
just  as  Katy's  ring  was  heard  and  Katy  herself  came 
in. 

As  thoughts  of  Genevra  always  made  Wilford  kinder 
towards  his  wife,  so  now  he  kissed  her  white  cheek,  no 
ticing  that,  as  Mark  had  said,  it  was  whiter  than  last 
year  in  June.  But  mountain  air  would  bring  back  the 
roses,  he  thought,  as  he  handed  her  the  note. 

"  Oh,  yes,  from  Marian  Hazelton,"  Katy  said,  glancing 
first  at  the  name  and  then  hastily  reading  it  through. 

"Who  is  Marian  Hazelton?"  Wilford  asked,  and  Katy 
replied  by  repeating  all  she  knew  of  Marian,  and  how  she 
chanced  to  know  her  at  all.  "  Don't  you  remember  Helen 
wrote  that  she  fainted  at  our  wedding,  and  I  was  so  sorry, 
fearing  I  might  have  overworked  her?" 

Wilford  did  remember  something  about  it,  and  then 
dismissing  Marian  from  his  mind,  he  told  Katy  of  his 
plan  for  taking  her  to  the  Mountain  House  a  few  weeks 
before  going  to  Saratoga. 

"  Would  you  not  like  it  ?  "  he  asked,  as  she  continued 
silent,  with  her  eyes  fixed  upon  the  window  opposite. 

:'  Yes,"  and  Katy  drew  a  long  and  weary  breath.  I 
shall  like  any  place  where  there  are  birds,  and  rocks,  and 
trees,  and  real  grass,  such  as  grows  of  itself  in  the  country ; 
but  Wilford,"  and  Katy  crept  close  to  him  now,  "if  I 


146  The  Cameron  Pride. 

might  go  to  Silverton,  I  should  get  strong  so  fast!  You 
don't  know  how  I  long  to  see  home  once  more.  I  dream 
about  it  nights  and  think  about  it  days,  knowing  just 
how  pleasant  it  is  there,  with  the  roses  in  bloom  and  the 
meadows  so  fresh  and  green.  May  I  go,  Wilford?  May 
1  go  home  to  mother  ?  " 

Had  Katy  asked  for  half  his  fortune,  just  as  she  asked 
to  go  home,  Wilford  would  have  given  it  to  her;  but 
Silverton  had  a  power  to  lock  all  the  softer  avenues  of 
his  heart,  and  so  he  answered  that  the  Mountain  House 
was  preferable,  that  the  rooms  were  engaged,  and  that  as 
he  should  enjoy  it  so  much  better  he  thought  they  would 
make  no  change. 

Katy  did  not  cry,  nor  utter  a  word  of  remonstrance; 
she  was  learning  that  quiet  submission  was  better  than 
useless  opposition,  and  so  Silverton  was  again  given  up. 
But  there  was  one  consolation.  Seeing  Marian  Hazelton 
would  be  almost  as  good  as  going  home,  for  had  she  not 
recently  come  from  that  neighborhood,  bringing  with  her 
the  odor  from  the  hills  and  freshness  from  the  woods? 
Perhaps,  too,  she  had  lately  seen  Helen  or  Morris  at 
church,  and  had  heard  the  music  of  the  organ  which 
Helen  played,  and  the  singing  of  the  children  just  as  it 
sometimes  came  to  Katy  in  her  dreams,  making  her  start 
in  her  sleep  and  murmur  snatches  01  the  sacred  songs 
which  Dr.  Morris  had  taught.  Yes,  Marian  could  tell 
her  of  all  this,  and  very  impatiently  Katy  waited  for  the 
morning  when  she  started  for  No. — Fourth  Street,  with 
the  piles  of  sewing  intended  for  Marian. 

It  was  a  fault  of  Marian's  not  to  remain  long  contented 
in  any  place.  Tiring  of  the  country,  she  had  returned  to 
the  city,  and  thinking  she  might  succeed  better  alone,  had 
hired  a  room  far  up  the  narrow  stairway  of  a  high,  som 
bre-looking  building,  and  then  from  her  old  acquaintances, 
of  whom  she  had  several  in  the  city,  she  had  solicited  work. 
More  than  once  she  had  passed  the  handsome  house  on 
Madison  Square  where  Katy  lived,  walking  slowly,  and 
contrasting  it  with  her  one  room,  which  was  not  wholly 
uninviting,  for  where  Marian  went  there  was  always  an 
air  of  comfort;  and  Katy,  as  she  crossed  the  threshold, 
uttered  an  exclamation  of  deligkt  at  the  cheerful,  airy 


The  Cameron  Pride.  147 

aspect  of  the  apartment,  with  its  bright  ingrain  carpet, 
its  simple  shades  of  white,  its  chintz-covered  lounge,  its 
one  rocking-chair,  its  small  parlor  stove,  and  its  pots  of 
flowers  upon  the  broad  window  sill. 

"  Oh  Marian,"  she  exclaimed,  tripping  across  the  floor, 
and  impulsively  throwing  her  arms  around  Miss  Hazelton's 
neck,  "  I  am  so  glad  to  meet  some  one  from  home.  It 
seems  almost  like  Helen  I  am  kissing,"  and  her  lips 
again  met  those  of  Marian  Hazelton,  amid  her  joy  at 
finding  Katy  unchanged,  wondered  what  the  Camerons 
would  say  to  see  their  Mrs.  Wilford  kissing  a  poor  seam 
stress  whom  they  would  have  spurned. 

But  Katy  did  not  care  for  Camerons  then,  or  even 
think  of  them,  as  in  her  rich  basquine  and  pretty  hat, 
with  emeralds  and  diamonds  sparkling  on  her  fingers, 
she  sat  down  by  Marian. 

"  Tell  me  of  Silverton ;  you  don't  know  how  I  want  to 
go  there;  but  Wilford  does  not  think  it  best,  at  present. 
Next  fall  I  am  surely  going,  and  I  picture  to  myself  just 
hovr  it  will  look:  Morris's  garden,  full  of  the  autumnal 
flowers — the  ripe  peaches  in  our  orchard,  the  grapes 
ripening  on  the  wall,  and  the  long  shadows  on  the  grass, 
just  as  I  used  to  watch  them,  wondering  what  made 
them  move  so  fast,  and  where  they  could  be  going.  Will 
it  be  unchanged,  Marian?  Do  places  seem  the  same  when 
once  we  have  left  them  ?  "  and  Katy's  eager  eyes  looked 
wistfully  at  Marian,  who  replied,  "  Not  always — not  often, 
in  fact ;  but  in  your  case  they  may.  You  have  not  been 
long  away." 

"  Only  a  year,"  Katy  said.  "  I  was  as  long  as  that  in 
Canandaigua;  but  this  past  year  is  different.  I  have 
seen  so  much,  and  lived  so  much,  that  I  feel  ten  years 
older  than  I  did  last  spring,  when  you  and  Helen  made 
my  wedding  dress.  Darling  Helen!  When  did  you  see 
her  last? » 

"  I  was  there  five  weeks  ago,"  Marian  replied ;  "  I  saw 
them  all,  and  told  them  I  was  coming  to  New  York." 

"  Do  they  miss  me  any  ?  Do  they  talk  of  me  ?  Do  they 
wish  me  back  again  ? "  Katy  asked,  and  Marian  replied, 
"  They  talked  of  little  else,  that  is  your  own  family.  Dr. 
Morris,  I  think,  did  not  mention  your  name.  He  has 


148  The  Cameron  Pride. 

grown  very  silent  and  reserved,"  and  Marian's  eyes  were 
fixed  inquiringly  upon  Katy,  as  if  to  ascertain  how  much 
she  knew  of  the  cause  for  Morris's  reserve. 

But  Katy  had  no  suspicion,  and  only  replied,  "  Per 
haps  he  is  vexed  that  I  do  not  write  to  him  oftener,  but 
I  can't.  I  think  of  him  a  great  deal,  and  respect  him 
more  than  any  living  man,  except,  of  course,  Wilford; 
but  when  I  try  to  write,  something  comes  in  between  me 
and  what  I  wish  to  say,  for  I  want  to  convince  him  that 
I  am  not  as  frivolous  as  he  thinks  I  am.  I  have  not  for 
gotten  the  Sunday  school,  nor  the  church  service;  but  in 
the  city  it  is  so  hard  to  be  good,  and  the  service  and 
music  seem  all  for  show,  and  I  feel  so  hateful  when  I  see 
Juno  and  Wilford's  mother  putting  their  heads  down  on 
velvet  cushions,  knowing  as  I  do  that  they  both  are 
thinking  either  of  their  own  bonnets  or  those  just  in 
front." 

"  Are  you  not  a  little  uncharitable  ? "  Marian  asked, 
laughing  in  spite  of  herself  at  the  picture  Katy  drew  of 
fashion  trying  to  imitate  religion  in  its  humility. 

"  Perhaps  so,"  Katy  answered.  "  I  grow  bad  from  look 
ing  behind  the  scenes,  and  the  worst  is  that  I  do  not  care, 
and  then  Katy  went  back  again  to  the  farm-house  asking 
numberless  questions  and  reaching  finally  the  business 
which  had  brought  her  to  Marian's  room. 

There  were  spots  on  Marian's  neck,  and  her  lips  were 
white,  as  she  grasped  the  bundles  tossed  into  her  lap — • 
the  yards  and  yards  of  lace  and  embroidery,  linen,  and 
cambric,  which  she  was  expected  to  make  for  the  wife  of 
Wilford  Cameron;  and  her  voice  was  husky  as  she  asked 
directions  or  made  suggestions  of  her  own. 

"  It's  because  she  has  no  such  joy  in  expectation.  I 
should  feel  so,  too,  if  I  were  thirty  and  unmarried,"  Katy 
thought,  as  she  noticed  Marian's  agitation,  and  tried  to 
divert  her  mind  by  talking  of  Europe  and  the  places  she 
had  visited. 

"By  the  way,  you  were  born  in  England?  Were  you 
ever  at  Alnwick  ?  "  Katy  asked,  and  Marian  replied,  "  Once, 
yes.  I've  seen  the  castle  and  the  church.  Did  you  go 
there— to  St.  Mary's,  I  mean?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  and  I  was  never  tired  of  that  old  churchyard. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  149 

Wilford  liked  it,  too,  and  we  wandered  by  the  hour 
among  the  sunken  graves  and  quaint  headstones." 

"  Do  you  remember  any  of  the  names  upon  the  stones  ? 
Perhaps  I  may  know  them  ? "  Marian  asked  ;  but  Katy 
did  not  remember  any,  or  if  she  did,  it  was  not  "  Genevra 
Lambert,  aged  22."  And  so  Marian  asked  her  no  more 
questions  concerning  Alnwick,  but  talked  instead  of  London 
and  other  places,  until  three  hours  went  by,  and  down 
in  the  street  the  coachman  chafed  and  fretted  at  the  long 
delay,  wondering  what  kept  his  mistress  in  that  neighbor 
hood  so  long.  Had  she  friends,  or  had  she  come  on  some 
errand  of  mercy?  The  latter  most  likely,  he  concluded, 
and  so  his  face  was  not  quite  so  cross  when  Katy  at  last 
appeared,  looking  at  her  watch  and  exclaiming  at  the 
lateness  of  the  hour. 

Katy  was  very  happy  that  morning,  for  seeing  Marian 
had  brought  Silverton  near  to  her,  and  airy  as  a  bird  she 
ran  up  the  steps  of  her  own  dwelling,  where  the  door 
opened  as  by  magic,  and  Wilford  himself  confronted  her, 
asking,  with  the  tone  which  always  made  her  heart  beat, 
where  she  had  been,  and  he  waiting  for  her  two  whole 
hours.  "  Surely  it  was  not  necessary  to  stop  so  long  with 
a  seamstress/'  he  continued  when  she  tried  to  explain. 
"  Ten  minutes  would  suffice  for  directions,"  and  he  could 
not  imagine  what  attraction  there  was  in  Miss  Hazelton 
to  keep  her  there  three  hours,  and  then  the  real  cause  of 
his  vexation  came  out.  He  had  come  expressly  for  the 
carriage  to  take  her  and  Sybil  Grandon  to  a  picnic  up 
the  river,  whither  his  mother,  Juno  and  Bell,  had  already 
gone.  Mrs.  Grandon  must  wonder  why  he  stayed  so  long, 
and  perhaps  give  up  going.  Could  Katy  be  ready  soon? 
and  Wilford  walked  rapidly  up  and  down  the  parlor  with 
a  restless  motion  of  his  hands  which  always  betokened 
impatience.  Poor  Katy !  how  the  brightness  of  the  morning 
faded,  and  how  averse  she  felt  to  joining  that  picnic,  which 
she  knew  had  been  in  prospect  for  some  time,  and  had 
fancied  she  should  enjoy !  But  not  to-day,  with  that  look 
on  Wilford's  face,  and  the  feeling  that  he  was  vexed. 
Still  she  could  think  of  no  reasonable  excuse,  and  so  an 
hour  later  found  her  driving  into  the  country  with  Sybil 
Grandon,  who  received  her  apologies  with  as  much  good- 


150  The  Cameron  Pride. 

natured  grace  as  if  she  too  had  not  worked  herself  into 
a  passion  at  the  delay,  for  Sybil  had  been  very  cross  and 
impatient;  but  all  this  vanished  when  she  met  Wilford 
and  saw  that  he  was  disturbed  and  irritated.  Soft,  and 
sweet,  and  smooth  was  she  both  in  word  and  manner,  so 
that  by  the  time  the  grove  was  reached  Wilford's  ruffled 
spirits  had  been  soothed,  and  he  was  himself  again,  ready 
to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  the  day  as  keenly  as  if  no  harsh 
word  had  been  said  to  Katy,  who,  silent  and  unhappy, 
listened  to  the  graceful  badinage  between  Sybil  and  her 
husband,  thinking  how  differently  his  voice  had  sounded 
when  addressing  her  only  a  little  while  before. 

"  Pray  put  some  animation  into  your  face,  or  Mrs. 
Grandon  will  think  we  have  been  quarreling,"  Wilford 
whispered,  as  he  lifted  his  wife  from  the  carriage,  and 
with  a  great  effort  Katy  tried  to  be  gay  and  natural. 

But  all  the  while  she  was  fighting  back  her  tears  and 
wishing  she  were  away.  Even  Marian's  room,  looking  into 
the  dingy  court,  was  preferable  to  that  place,  and  she  was 
glad  when  the  long  day  came  to  an  end,  and  with  a  fear 
ful  headache  she  was  riding  back  to  the  city. 

The  next  morning  was  dark  and  rainy;  but  in  spite  of 
the  weather  Katy  found  her  way  to  Marian's  room,  this 
time  taking  the — avenue  cars,  which  left*  her  independent 
as  regarded  the  length  of  her  stay.  About  Marian  there 
was  something  more  congenial  than  about  her  city  friends, 
and  day  after  day  found  her  there,  watching  while  Marian 
fashioned  into  shape  the  beautiful  little  garments,  the 
sight  of  which  had  a  strangely  quieting  influence  upon 
Katy,  sobering  her  down  and  maturing  her  more  than  all 
the  years  of  her  life  had  done.  Those  were  happy  hours 
spent  with  Marian  Hazelton,  and  Katy  felt  it  keenly  when 
Wilford  at  last  interfered,  telling  her  she  was  growing 
quite  too  familiar  with  that  sewing  woman,  and  her  calls 
must  be  discontinued,  except,  indeed,  such  as  were  neces 
sary  to  the  work  in  progress. 

With  one  great  gush  of  tears,  when  there  was  no  one 
to  see  her,  Katy  gave  Marian  up,  writing  her  a  note,  in 
which  were  sundry  directions  for  the  work,  which  would 
go  on  even  after  she  had  left  for  the  Mountain  House, 
as  she  intended  doing  the  last  of  June.  And  Marian 


The  Cameron  Pride.  151 

guessed  at  more  than  Katy  meant  she  should,  and  with 
a  bitter  sigh  laid  it  in  her  basket,  and  then  resumed  the 
work,  which  seemed  doubly  monotonous  now  that  there 
was  no  more  listening  for  the  little  feet  tripping  up  the 
stairs,  or  for  the  bird-like  voice  which  had  brought  so 
much  of  music  and  sunshine  to  her  lonely  room. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

SARATOGA   AND    NEWPORT. 

FOR  three  weeks  Katy  had  been  at  the  Mountain  House, 
growing  stronger  every  day,  until  she  was  much  like  the 
Katy  of  one  year  ago.  But  their  stay  among  the  Catskills 
was  ended,  and  on  the  morrow  they  were  going  to  Sara 
toga,  where  Mrs.  Cameron  and  her  daughters  were,  and 
where,  too,  was  Sybil  Grandon,  the  reigning  belle  of  the 
United  States.  So  Bell  had  written  to  her  brother,  bidding 
him  hasten  on  with  Katy,  as  she  wished  to  see  "  that  chit 
of  a  widow  in  her  proper  place."  And  Katy  had  been 
weak  enough  for  a  moment  to  feel  a  throb  of  satis 
faction  in  knowing  how  effectually  Sybil's  claims  to  belle- 
ship  would  be  put  aside  when  she  was  once  in  the  field; 
even  glancing  at  herself  in  the  mirror  as  she  leaned  on 
Wilford's  shoulder,  and  feeling  glad  that  mountain  air 
and  mountain  exercise  had  brought  the  roses  back  to  her 
white  cheeks  and  the  brightness  to  her  eyes.  But  Katy 
wept  passionate  tears  of  repentance  for  that  weakness, 
when  an  hour  later  she  read  the  letter  which  Dr.  Grant 
had  sent  in  answer  to  one  she  had  written  from  the  Moun 
tain  House,  confessing  her  short-comings,  and  lamenting 
that  the  evils  and  excesses  which  shocked  her  once  did 
not  startle  her  now.  To  this  letter  Morris  had  replied 
as  a  brother  might  write  to  an  only  sister,  first  expressing 
pleasure  at  her  happiness,  and  then  reminding  her  of 
that  other  life  to  which  this  is  only  a  preparation,  and  be 
seeching  her  so  to  use  the  good  things  of  this  world,  given 
her  in  such  profusion,  as  not  to  lose  the  life  eternal. 

This  was  the  substance  of  Morris's  letter,,  which  Katy 
read  with  streaming  eyes,  forgetting  Saratoga  as  Morris's 
solemn  words  of  warning  and  admonition  rang  in  her 
ears,  and  shuddering  as  she  thought  of  losing  the  life 


152  The  Cameron  Pride. 

eternal,  of  going  where  Morris  would  never  come,  nor 
any  of  those  she  loved  the  best,  unless  it  were  Wilford, 
who  might  reproach  her  with  having  dragged  him  there 
when  she  could  have  saved  him. 

"  Keep  yourself  unspotted  from  the  world,"  Morris  had 
said,  and  she  repeated  it  to  herself,  asking  "  how  shall  I 
do  that  ?  how  can  one  be  good  and  fashionable  too  ?  " 

Then  laying  her  head  upon  the  rock  where  she  was 
sitting,  Katy  tried  to  pray  as  she  had  not  prayed  in 
months,  asking  that  God  would  teach  her  what  she  ought 
to  know  and  keep  her  unspotted  from  the  world.  But  at 
the  Mountain  House  it  is  easier  to  pray  that  one  be  kept 
from  temptation  than  it  is  at  Saratoga,  which  this  sum 
mer  was  crowded  to  overflowing,  its  streets  presenting  a 
fitting  picture  of  Vanity  Fair,  so  full  were  they  of  show 
and  gala  dress.  At  the  "United  States,  where  Mrs.  Cameron 
stopped,  two  rooms,  for  which  an  enormous  price  was  paid, 
had  been  reserved  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilford  Cameron,  and 
this  of  itself  would  have  given  them  a  certain  eclat,  even 
if  there  had  not  been  pre-or.!;  many  who  remembered  the 
proud,  fastidious  bachelor,  and  were  proportionately  anx 
ious  to  see  his  wife.  She  came,  she  saw,  she  conquered; 
and  within  three  days  after  her  arrival  Katy  Cameron 
was  the  acknowledged  belle  of  Saratoga,  from  the  United 
States  to  the  Clarendon.  And  Katy,  alas,  was  not  quite 
the  same  as  she  who  on  the  mountain  ridge  had  sat  with 
Morris's  letter  in  her  hand,  praying  that  its  teachings 
might  not  be  forgotten.  Saratoga  seemed  different  to  her 
from  New  York,  and  she  plunged  into  its  gaieties,  never 
pausing,  never  tiring,  and  seldom  giving  herself  time  to 
think;  much  less  to  pray,  as  Morris  had  bidden  her  do. 
And  Wilford,  though  hardly  able  to  recognize  the  usually 
timid  Katy  in  the  brilliant  woman  who  led  rather  than 
followed,  was  sure  of  her  faith  to  him,  and  so  was  only 
proud  and  gratified  to  see  her  bear  off  the  palm  from 
every  competitor*,  while  Juno,  though  she  quarreled  with 
the  shadow  into  which  she  was  so  completely  thrown, 
enjoyed  the  eclat  cast  upon  their  party  by  the  presence  of 
Mrs.  Wilford,  who  had  passed  beyond  her  criticism.  Sybil 
Grandon,  too,  stood  back  in  wonder  that  a  simple  country 
girl  should  win  and  wear  the  laurels  she  had  so  long 


The  Cameron  Pride.  153 

claimed  as  her  own;  but  as  there  was  no  help  for  it  she 
contented  herself  as  best  she  could  with  the  admiration 
she  did  receive,  and  whenever  opportunity  occurred,  said 
bitter  things  of  Mrs.  Wilford,  whose  parentage  and  low 
estate  were  through  her  pretty  generally  known.  But  it 
did  not  matter  there  what  Katy  had  been;  the  people  took 
her  for  what  she  was  now,  and  Sybil's  glory  faded  like 
the  early  dawn  in  the  coming  of  the  full  day. 

As  it  had  been  at  Saratoga,  so  it  was  at  Newport.  Urged 
on  DV  Mrs.  Cameron  and  Bell,  who  enjoyed  her  notoriety, 
Katy  plunged  into  the  mad  excitement  of  dancing  and 
driving  and  coqueting,  until  Wilford  himself  became  un 
easy,  locking  her  once  in  her  room.,  where  she  was  sleeping 
after  dinner,  and  conveniently  forgetting  to  release  her 
until  after  the  departure  at  evening  of  some  young  men 
from  Cambridge,  whose  attentions  to  the  Ocean  House 
belle  had  been  more  strongly  marked  than  was  altogether 
agreeable  to  him.  Of  course  it  was  a  mistake — the  locking 
of  the  door — and  a  great  oversight  in  him  not  to  have 
remembered  it  sooner,  he  said  to  Katy,  by  way  of  apology ; 
and  Katy,  with  no  suspicion  of  the  truth,  laughed  merrily 
at  the  joke,  repeating  it  downstairs  to  the  old  dowagers, 
who  shrugged  their  shoulders  meaningly  and  whispered 
to  each  other  that  it  might  be  well  if  more  young  wives 
were  locked  into  their  rooms  and  thus  kept  out  of 
mischief. 

Though  flattered,  caressed,  and  admired.,  Katy  was  not 
doing  herself  much  credit  at  Newport;  but  save  Wilford, 
there  was  no  one  to  raise  a  warning  voice,  until  Mark  Kay 
came  down  for  a  few  days'  respite  from  the  heated  city, 
where  he  had  spent  the  entire  summer,  taking  charge 
of  the  business  which  belonged  as  much  to  Wilford  as  to 
himself.  But  Wilford  had  a  wife;  it  was  more  necessary 
that  he  should  leave,  Mark  had  argued;  his  time  would 
come  by  and  by.  And  so  he  had  remained  at  home  until 
the  last  of  August,  when  he  appeared  suddenly  at  the 
Ocean  House  one  night  when  Katy,  in  her  airy  robes  and 
child-like  simplicity,  was  breaking  hearts  by  the  score. 
Like  others,  Mark  was  charmed,  and  not  a  little  proud 
1'or  Katy's  sake,  to  see  her  thus  appreciated ;  but  when  one 
day's  experience  had  shown  him  more,  and  given  him  a 


154  The  Cameron  Pride. 

look  behind  the  scenes,  he  trembled  for  her,  knowing  how 
hard  it  would  be  for  her  to  come  out  of  that  sea  of  dissipa 
tion  as  pure  and  spotless  as  she  went  in. 

"  If  I  were  her  brother  I  would  warn  her  that  her 
present  career  is  not  one  upon  which  she  will  look  back 
with  pleasure  when  the  excitement  is  over/'  he  said  to 
himself ;  "  but  if  Wilford  is  satisfied  it  is  not  for  me  to 
interfere.  It  is  surely  nothing  to  me  what  Katy  Cam 
eron  does,"  he  kept  repeating  to  himself;  but  as  often  as 
he  said  it  there  came  up  before  him  a  pale,  anxious  fac-c, 
shaded  with  Helen  Lennox's  bands  of  hair,  and  Helen 
Lennox's  voice  whispered  to  him :  "  Save  Katy,  for  my 
sake,"  and  so  next  day,  when  Mark  found  himself  alone 
with  Katy,  while  most  of  the  guests  were  at  the  beach,  he 
questioned  her  of  her  life  at  Saratoga  and  Newport,  and 
gradually,  as  he  talked,  there  crept  into  Katy's  heart  a 
suspicion  that  he  was  not  pleased  with  her  account,  or 
with  what  he  had  seen  of  her  since  his  arrival. 

For  a  moment  Katy  was  indignant,  but  when  he  said 
to  her  kindly :  "  Would  Helen  be  pleased  ? "  her  tears 
started  at  once,  and  she  attempted  an  excuse  for  her  weak 
folly,  accusing  Sybil  Grandon  as  the  first  cause  of  the  am 
bition  for  which  she  hated  herself. 

"  She  had  been  held  up  as  my  pattern,"  she  said,  half 
bitterly,  and  forgetting  to  whom  she  was  talking — "  she, 
the  one  whom  I  was  to  imitate;  and  when  I  found  that 
I  could  go  beyond  her,  I  yielded  to  the  temptation,  and 
exulted  to  see  how  far  she  was  left  behind.  Besides  that/' 
she  continued,  "is  it  no  gratification,  think  you,  to  let 
Wilford's  proud  mother  and  sister  see  the  poor  country 
girl,  whom  ordinarily  they  would  despise,  stand  where  they 
cannot  come,  and  even  dictate  to  them  if  she  chooses  so 
to  do?  I  know  it  is  wrong — I  know  it  is  wicked — but  I 
like  the  excitement,  and  so  long  as  I  am  with  these  people 
I  shall  never  be  any  better.  Mark  Ray,  you  don't  know 
what  it  is  to  be  surrounded  by  a  set  who  care  for  nothing 
but  fashion  and  display,  and  how  they  may  outdo  each 
other.  I  hate  New  York  society.  There  is  nothing  there 
but  husks." 

Katy's  tears  had  ceased,  and  on  her  white  face  there 
was  a  new  look  of  womanhood,  as  if  in  that  outburst 


The  Cameron  Pride.  155 

she  had  changed,  and  would  never  again  be  just  what  she 
was  before. 

"  Say,"  she  continued,  "  do  you  like  New  York  society  ?  " 

"  Not  always — not  wholly,"  Mark  answered ;  "  and  still 
you  misjudge  it  greatly,  for  all  are  not  like  the  people 
you  describe.  Your  husband's  family  represent  one  ex 
treme,  while  there  are  others  equally  high  in  the  social 
scale  who  do  not  make  fashion  the  rule  of  their  lives — 
sensible,  cultivated,  intellectual  people,  of  whose  acquaint 
ance  one  might  be  glad — people  whom  I  fancy  your  sister 
Helen  would  enjoy.  I  have  only  met  her  twice,  but  my 
impression  is  that  she  would  not  find  New  York  distaste 
ful." 

Mark  did  not  know  why  he  had  dragged  Helen  into 
that  conversation,  unless  it  were  that  she  seemed  very  near 
to  him  as  he  talked  with  Katy,  who  replied : 

"  Yes,  Helen  finds  good  in  all.  She  sees  differently 
from  what  I  do,  and  I  wish  so  much  that  she  was  here." 

"  Why  not  send  for  her  ?  "  Mark  asked,  casting  about  in 
his  mind  whether  in  case  Helen  came,  he,  too,  could  tarry 
for  a  week  and  leave  that  business  in  Southbridge,  which 
he  must  attend  to  ere  returning  to  the  city. 

It  would  be  a  study  to  watch  Helen  Lennox  there  at 
Newport,  and  in  imagination  Mark  was  already  her  sworn 
knight,  shielding  her  from  criticism,  and  commanding 
for  her  respect  from  those  who  respected  him,  when  Katy 
tore  his  castle  down  by  answering  impulsively: 

"  I  doubt  if  Wilford  would  let  me  send  for  her,  nor 
does  it  matter,  as  I  shall  not  remain  much  longer.  I 
do  not  need  her  now,  since  you  have  shown  me  how 
foolish  I  have  been.  I  was  angry  at  first,  but  now  I  thank 
you  for  it,  and  so  will  Helen.  I  shall  tell  her  when  I 
am  in  Silverton.  I  am  going  there  from  here  "Sid  oh, 
I  so  wish  it  was  to-day." 

The  guests  were  beginning  to  return  from  the  beach 
by  this  time,  and  as  Mark  had  said  all  he  had  intended 
saying,  he  left  Katy  with  Wilford,  who  had  just  come  in 
and  joined  a  merry  party  of  Bostonians  only  that  day  ar 
rived.  That  night  at  the  Ocean  House  the  guests  missed 
something  from  their  festivities ;  the  dance  was  not  so  ex 
hilarating  or  the  small-talk  between  so  lively,  while  more 


»      .-  i 

156  The  Cameron  Pride. 

than  one  white-kidded  dandy  swore  mentally  at  the  inno 
cent  Wflford,  whose  wife  declined  to  join  in  the  gayeties, 
and  in  a  plain  white  muslin,  with  only  a  pond  lily  in  her 
hair,  kept  by  her  husband's  side,  notwithstanding  that  he 
bade  her  leave  him  and  accept  some  of  her  numerous 
invitations  to  join  the  giddy  dance.  This  sober  phase  of 
Katy  did  not  on  the  whole  please  Wilford  as  much  as 
her  gaver  ones  had  done.  All  he  had  ever  dreamed  of  the 
sensation  his  bride  would  create  was  more  than  verified. 
Katy  had  fulfilled  his  highest  expectations,  reaching  a 
point  from  which,  as  she  had  said  to  Mark,  she  could 
dictate  to  his  mother,  if  she  chose,  and  he  did  not  care 
to  see  her  relinquish  it. 

But  Katy  remained  true  to  herself.  Dropping  her 
girlish  playfulness,  she  assumed  a  quiet,  gentle  dignity, 
which  became  her  even  better  than  her  gayer  mood  had 
done,  making  her  ten  times  more  popular  and  more  sought 
after,  until  she  begged  to  go  away,  persuading  Wilford 
at  last  to  name  the  day  for  their  departure,  and  then, 
never  doubting  for  a  moment  that  her  destination  was 
Silverton,  she  wrote  to  Helen  that  she  should  be  home 
on  such  a  day,  and  as  they  would  come  by  way  of  Provi 
dence  'and  Worcester,  they  would  probably  reach  West 
Silverton  at  ten  o'clock,  A.  M. 

"  Wilford,"  she  added  in  a  postscript,  "  has  gone  down 
to  bathe,  and  as  the  mail  is  just  closing,  I  shall  send  this 
letter  without  his  seeing  it.  Of  course  it  can  make  no 
difference,  for  I  have  talked  all  summer  of  coming,  and 
lie  understands  it." 

CHAPTEE  XX. 

MARK   RAY   AT   SILVERTON. 

THE  last  day  of  summer  was  dying  out  in  a  fierce  storm 
of  rain  which  swept  in  sheets  across  the  Silverton  hills, 
hiding  the  pond  from  view,  and  beating  against  the  win 
dows  of  the  farm-house,  whose  inmates  were  nevertheless 
unmindful  of  the  storm  save  as  they  hoped  the  morrow 
would  prove  bright  and  fair,  such  as  the  day  should  be 
which  brought  them  back  their  Katy.  Nearly  worn  out 
with  constant  reference  was  her  letter,  the  mother  aatch- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  157 

ing  it  up  from  time  to  time  to  read  the  part  referring 
to  herself,  where  Katy  had  told  how  blessed  it  would  be 
"  to  rest  again  on  mothers  bed,"  just  as  she  had  so  often 
wished  to  do,  "  and  hear  mother's  voice ;  "  the  deacon  spell 
ing  out  by  his  spluttering  tallow  candle,  with  its  long, 
smoky  wick,  what  she  had  said  of  "  darling  old  Uncle 
Eph,"  and  the  rides  into  the  fields ;  Aunt  Betsy,  too,  read 
ing  mostly  from  memory  the  words :  "  Good  old  Aunt 
Betsy,  with  her  skirts  so  limp  and  short,  tell  her  she  will 
look  handsomer  to  me  than  the  fairest  belle  at  Newport ; " 
and  as  often  as  Aunt  Betsy  read  it  she  would  ejaculate: 
"  The  land !  what  kind  of  company  must  the  child  have 
kept  ? "  wondering  next  if  Helen  had  never  written  of 
the  hoop,  for  which  she  paid  a  dollar,  and  which  was 
carefully  hung  in  her  closet,  waiting  for  the  event  of  to 
morrow,  while  the  hem  of  her  pongee  had  been  let  down 
and  one  breadth  gored  to  accommodate  the  hoop.  On  the 
whole,  Aunt  Betsy  expected  to  make  a  stylish  appearance 
before  the  little  lady  of  whom  she  sto^d  in  awe,  always 
speaking  of  her  to  the  neighbors  as  "  My  niece,  Miss  Cam- 
men,  from  New  York,"  and  taking  good  care  to  report  what 
she  had  heard  of  "  Miss  Cammen's  "  costly  dress  and  the 
grandeur  of  her  house,  where  the  furniture  of  the  beet 
chamber  cost  over  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 

"  What  could  it  be  ?  "  Aunt  Betsy  had  asked  in  her  sim 
plicity,  feeling  an  increased  respect  for  Katy,  and  con 
senting  the  more  readily  to  the  change  in  her  pongee,  as 
suggested  to  her  by  Helen. 

But  that  was  for  to-morrow  when  Katy  came;  to-night 
she  only  wore  a  dotted  brown,  whose  hem  just  reached  the 
top  of  her  "  bootees,"  as  she  went  to  strain  the  milk  brought 
in  by  Uncle  Ephraim,  while  Helen  took  her  position  near 
the  window,  looking  drearily  out  upon  the  leaden  clouds, 
and  hoping  it  would  brighten  before  the  morrow.  Like 
the  others,  Helen  had  read  Katy's  letter  many  times, 
dwelling  longest  upon  the  part  which  said :  "  I  have  been 
so  bad,  so  frivolous  and  wicked  here  at  Newport,  that  it 
will  be  a  relief  to  make  you  my  confessor,  depending,  as 
I  do,  upon  your  love  to  grant  me  absolution." 

From  a  family  in  Silverton,  who  had  spent  a  few  days 
at  a  private  house  in  Newport,  Helen  had  heard  something 


158  The  Cameron  Pride. 

of  her  sister's  life;  the  lady  had  seen  her  once  driving  a 
tandem  team  down  the  avenue,  with  Wilford  at  her  side 
giving  her  instructions.  Since  then  there  had  been  some 
anxiety  felt  for  her  at  the  farm-house,  and  more  than  Dr. 
Grant  had  prayed  that  she  might  be  kept  unspotted  from  the 
world;  but  when  her  letter  came,  so  full  of  love  and  self- 
reproaches,  the  burden  was  lifted,  and  there  was  nothing 
to  mar  the  anticipations  of  the  event  for  which  they  had 
made  so  many  preparations,  Uncle  Ephraim  going  to  the 
expense  of  buying  at  auction  a  half-worn  covered  buggy, 
which  he  fancied  would  suit  Katy  better  than  the  corn- 
colored  wagon  in  which  she  used  to  ride.  To  pay  for  this 
the  deacon  had  parted  with  the  money  set  aside  for  the 
"  great  coat "  he  so  much  needed  for  the  coming  winter, 
his  old  gray  having  done  him  service  for  fifteen  years. 
But  his  comfort  was  nothing  compared  with  Katy's  happi 
ness,  and  so,  with  his  wrinkled  face  beaming  with  delight, 
he  had  brought  home  his  buggy,  putting  it  carefully  in 
the  barn,  and  saying  no  one  should  ride  in  it  till  Katy 
came.  With  untiring  patience  the  old  man  mended  up  his 
harness,  for  what  he  had  heard  of  Katy's  driving  had  im 
pressed  him  strongly  with  her  powers  of  horsemanship, 
and  raised  her  somewhat  in  his  respect.  Could  he  have 
afforded  it  Uncle  Ephraim  in  his  younger  days  would 
have  been  a  horse  jockey,  and  even  now  he  liked  nothing 
better  than  to  make  Old  Whitey  run  when  alone  in  the 
strip  of  woods  between  his  house  and  the  head  of  the 
pond. 

"  Katy  inherits  her  love  of  horses  from  me,"  he  said 
complacently ;  and  with  a  view  of  improving  White3r's 
style  and  mettle,  he  took  to  feeding  him  on  oats,  talking 
to  him  at  times,  and  telling  him  who  was  coming. 

Dear,  simple-hearted  Uncle  Ephraim !  the  days  which 
he  must  wait  seemed  long  to  him  as  they  did  to  the  other 
members  of  his  family.  But  they  were  all  gone  now, — 
Katy  would  be  home  on  the  morrow,  and  with  the  shutting 
in  of  night  the  candles  were  lighted  in  the  sitting-room, 
and  Helen  sat  down  to  her  work,  wishing  it  was  to-night 
that  Katy  was  coming.  As  if  in  answer  to  her  wish  there 
was  the  sound  of  wheels,  which  stopped  before  the  house, 
and  dropping  her  work  Helen  ran  quickly  to  the  door, 


The  Cameron  Pride.  159 

just  as  from  under  the  dripping  umbrella  held  by  a  driver 
boy,  a  tall  young  man  sprang  upon  the  step,  nearly  up 
setting  her,  but  passing  an  arm  around  her  shoulders  in 
time  to  keep  her  from  falling. 

"  I  beg  pardon  for  this  assault  upon  you/'  the  stranger 
said;  and  then  turning  to  the  boy  he  continued:  "It's 
all  right,  you  need  not  wait." 

With  a  chirrup  and  a  blow  the  horse  started  forward, 
and  the  mud-bespattered  vehicle  was  moving  down  the 
road  ere  Helen  had  recovered  her  surprise  at  recognizing 
Mark  Ray,  who  shook  the  rain-drops  from  his  hair,  and 
offering  her  his  hand  said  in  reply  to  her  involuntary 
exclamation :  "  I  thought  it  was  Katy,"  "  Shall  I  infer 
then  that  I  am  the  less  welcome  ?  "  and  his  bright,  saucy  eyes 
looked  laughingly  into  hers.  Business  had  brought  him 
to  Southbridge,  he  said,  and  it  was  his  intention  to  take 
the  cars  that  afternoon  for  New  York,  but  having  been 
detained  longer  than  he  expected,  and  not  liking  the  looks 
of  the  hotel  arrangements,  he  had  decided  to  presume 
upon  his  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Grant,  and  spend  the 
night  at  Linwood.  "  But/7  and  again  his  eyes  looked 
straight  at  Helen,  "it  rained  so  hard  and  the  light  from 
your  window  was  so  inviting  that  I  ventured  to  stop,  so 
here  I  am,  claiming  your  hospitality  until  morning,  if 
convenient;  if  not,  I  will  find  my  way  to  Linwood." 

There  was  something  in  this  pleasant  familiarity  which 
won  Uncle  Ephraim  at  once,  and  he  bade  the  young  man 
stay,  as  did  Aunt  Hannah  and  Mrs.  Lennox,  who  now  for 
the  first  time  was  presented  to  Mark  Ray.  Always  capable 
of  adapting  himself  to  the  circumstances  around  him, 
Mark  did  so  now  with  so  much  ease  and  courteousness  as 
to  astonish  Helen,  and  partly  thaw  the  reserve  she  had  as 
sumed  when  she  found  the  visitor  was  from  the  hated 
city. 

"  Are  you  expecting  Mrs.  Cameron  ?  "  he  asked,  adding, 
as  Helen  explained  that  she  was  coming  to-morrow,  "  That 
is  strange.  Wilford  wrote  decidedly  that  he  should  be  in 
New  York  to-morrow.  Possibly,  though,  he  does  not  in 
tend  himself  to  stop." 

"  I  presume  not,"  Helen  replied,  a  weight  suddenly  lift 
ing  from  her  heart  at  the  prospect  of  not  having  to  enter- 


160  The  Cameron  Pride. 

tain  the  formidable  brother-in-law  who,  if  he  stayed  long, 
would  spoil  all  her  pleasure. 

Thus  at  her  ease  on  this  point,  she  grew  more  talka 
tive,  half -wishing  that  her  dress  was  not  a  shilling-calico, 
or  her  hair  combed  back  quite  so  straight,  giving  her  that 
severe  look  which  Morris  had  said  was  unbecoming.  It 
was  very  smooth  and  glossy,  and  Sybil  Grandon  would  have 
given  her  best  diamond  to  have  had  in  her  own  natural 
right  the  heavy  coil  of  hair  bound  so  many  times  around 
the  back  of  Helen's  head,  and  ornamented  with  neither 
ribbon,  comb,  nor  bow.  Only  a  single  geranium  leaf,  with 
a  white  and  scarlet  blossom,  was  fastened  just  below  the 
ear,  and  on  the  side  where  Mark  could  see  it  best,  admir 
ing  its  effect  and  forgetting  the  arrangement  of  the  hair 
in  his  admiration  of  the  well-shaped  head,  bending  so  in 
dustriously  over  the  work  which  Helen  had  resumed — not 
•rocheting,  nor  yet  embroidery,  but  the  very  homely  work 
of  darning  Uncle  Ephraim's  socks,  a  task  which  Helen 
always  did,  and  on  that  particular  night.  Helen  knew  it 
was  not  delicate  employment,  and  there  was  a  moment's 
hesitancy  as  she  wondered  what  Mark  would  think — then, 
with  a  grim  delight  in  letting  him  see  that  she  did  not 
care,  she  resumed  her  darning-needle,  and  as  a  kind  of 
penance  for  the  flash  of  pride  in  which*  she  had  indulged, 
selected  from  the  basket  the  very  coarsest,  ugliest  sock 
she  could  find,  stretching  out  the  huge  fracture  at  the  heel 
to  its  utmost  extent,  and  attacking  it  with  a  right  good 
will,  while  Mark,  with  a  comical  look  on  his  face,  sat 
watching  her.  She  knew  he  was  looking  at  her,  and  her 
cheeks  were  growing  very  red,  while  her  hatred  of  him 
was  increasing,  when  he  said,  abruptly :  "  You  follow  my 
mother's  custom,  I  see.  She  used  to  mend  my  socks  on 
Tuesday  nights." 

"  Your  mother  mend  socks !  "  and  Helen  started  so  sud 
denly  as  to  run  the  point  of  her  darning-needle  a  long 
way  into  her  thumb,  the  wound  bringing  a  stream  of  blood 
which  she  tried  to  wipe  away  with  her  handkerchief. 

"  Bind  it  tightly  round.  Let  me  show  you,  please," 
Mark  said,  and  ere  she  was  aware  of  what  she  was  doing, 
Helen  was  quietly  permitting  the  young  man  to  wind  her 
handkerchief  around  her  thumb  which  he  held  in  his  hand, 


The  Cameron  Pride.  161 

pressing  it  until  the  blood  ceased  flowing,  and  the  sharp 
pain  had  abated. 

Perhaps  Mark  Ray  liked  holding  that  small,  warm  hand, 
even  though  it  were  not  as  white'  and  soft  as  Juno's;  at 
all  events  he  did  hold  it  until  Helen  drew  it  from  him  with 
a  quick,  sudden  motion,  telling  him  it  would  do  very 
well,  and  she  would  not  trouble  him.  Mark  did  not  look 
as  if  he  had  been  troubled,  but  went  back  to  his  seat  and 
took  up  the  conversation  just  where  the  needle  had 
stopped  it. 

"  My  mother  did  not  always  mend  herself,  but  she 
caused  it  to  be  done,  and  sometimes  helped.  I  remember 
she  used  to  say  a  woman  should  know  how  to  do  everything 
pertaining  to  a  household,  and  she  carried  out  her  theory 
in  the  education  of  my  sister." 

"  Have  you  a  sister  ?  '*  Helen  asked,  now  really  inter 
ested,  and  listening  intently  while  Mark  told  her  of  his 
only  sister  Julia,  now  Mrs.  Ernst,  whose  home  was  in  New 
Orleans,  though  she  at  present  was  in  Paris,  and  his 
mother  was  there  with  her.  "  After  Julia's  marriage,  nine 
years  ago,  mother  went  to  live  with  her,"  he  said,  "but 
latterly,  as  the  little  Ernsts  increase  so  fast,  she  wishes  for 
a  more  quiet  home,  and  this  winter  she  is  coming  to  New 
York  to  keep  house  for  me." 

Helen  thought  she  might  like  Mark's  mother,  who,  he 
told  her,  had  been  twice  married,  and  was  now  Mrs. 
Banker,  and  a  widow.  She  must  be  different  from  Mrs. 
Cameron;  and  Helen  let  herself  down  to  another  degree 
of  toleration  for  the  man  whose  mother  taught  her  daugh 
ter  to  mend  the  family  socks.  Still  there  was  about  her  a 
reserve,  which  Mark  wondered  at,  for  it  was  not  thus  that 
ladies  were  accustomed  to  receive  his  advances.  He  did 
not  guess  that  Wilford  Cameron  stood  between  him  and 
Helen's  good  opinion ;  but  when,  after  the  family  came  in, 
the  conversation  turned  upon  Katy  and  her  life  in  New 
York,  the  secret  came  out  in  the  sharp,  caustic  manner 
with  which  she  spoke  of  New  York  and  its  people. 

"It's  Will  and  the  Camerons,"  Mark  thought,  blaming 
Helen  less  than  he  would  have  done,  if  he,  too,  had  not 
known  something  of  the  Cameron  pride. 

It  was  a  novel  position  in  which  Mark  found  himself 


102  The  Cameron  Pride. 

that  night,  an  inmate  of  a  humble  farm-house,  where  he 
could  almost  touch  the  ceiling  with  his  hand,  and  where 
his  surroundings  were  so  different  from  what  he  had  been 
accustomed  to;  but,  unlike  Wilford  Cameron,  he  did  not 
wish  himself  away,  nor  feel  indignant  at  Aunt  Betsy's 
old-fashioned  ways,  or  Uncle  Ephraim's  grammar.  He 
noticed  Aunt  Betsy's  oddities,  it  is  true,  and  noticed  Uncle 
Ephraim's  grammar;  but  the  sight  of  Helen  sitting  there, 
with  so  much  dignity  and  self-respect,  made  him  look 
beyond  all  else,  straight  into  her  open  face  and  clear  brown 
eyes,  where  there  was  nothing  obnoxious  or  distasteful. 
Her  language  was  correct,  her  manner,  saving  a  little  stiff 
ness,  lady-like  and  refined :  and  Mark  enjoyed  his  situa 
tion  as  self-invited  guest,  making  himself  so  agreeable  that 
Uncle  Ephraim  forgot  his  hour  of  retiring,  nor  discovered 
his  mistake  until,  with  a  loud  yawn,  Aunt  Betsy  told  him 
that  it  was  half-past  nine,  and  she  was  "  desput  sleepy." 

Owing  to  Helen's  influence  there  had  been  a  change  of 
the  olden  custom,  and  instead  of  the  long  chapter,  through 
which  Uncle  Ephraim  used  to  plod  so  wearily,  there  were 
now  read  the  Evening  Psalms.  Aunt  Betsy  herself  joined 
in  the  reading,  which  she  mentally  classed  with  the 
"  quirks,"  but  confessed  to  herself  that  it  "  was  most  as 
good  as  the  Bible." 

As  there  were  only  Prayer  Books  enough  for  the  family, 
Helen,  in  distributing  them,  purposely  passed  Mark  by, 
thinking  he  might  not  care  to  join  them.  But  when  the 
verse  came  round  to  Helen  he  quickly  drew  his  chair  near 
to  hers,  and  taking  one  side  of  her  book,  performed  his 
part,  while  Helen's  face  grew  red  as  the  blossoms  in 
her  hair,  and  her  hand,  so  near  to  Mark's,  trembled  visibly. 

"  A  right  nice  chap,  and  not  an  atom  stuck  up,"  was 
Aunt  Betsy's  mental  comment,  and  then,  as  he  often  will 
do,  Satan  followed  the  saintly  woman  even  to  her  knees, 
making  her  wonder  if  "  Mr.  Ray  hadn't  some  notion  after 
Helen."  She  hoped  not,  for  she  meant  that  Morris  should 
have  Helen,  "  though  if  'twas  to  be  it  was,  and  she  should 
not  go  agin  it ; "  and  while  Aunt  Eetsy  thus  settled  the 
case,  Uncle  Ephraim's  prayer  ended,  and  the  conscience- 
smitten  woman  arose  from  her  knees  with  the  conviction 
that  "  the  evil  one  had  got  the  better  of  her  once,"  mentally 


The  Cameron  Pride.  163 

asking  pardon  for  her  wandering  thoughts  and  promising 
to  do  better. 

Mark  was  in  no  haste  to  retire,  and  when  Uncle  Ephraim 
offered  to  conduct  him  to  his  room,  he  frankly  answered 
that  he  was  not  sleepy,  adding,  as  he  turned  to  Helen: 
"  Please  let  me  stay  until  Miss  Lennox  finishes  her  socks. 
There  are  several  pairs  yet  undarned.  I  will  not  detain 
you,  though,"  he  continued,  bowing  to  Uncle  Ephraim, 
who,  a  little  uncertain  what  to  do,  finally  departed,  as  did 
Aunt  Hannah  and  his  sister,  leaving  Helen  and  her  mother 
to  entertain  Mark  Eay.  It  had  been  Mrs.  Lennox's  f>?t 
intention  to  retire  also,  but  a  look  from  Helen  kept  her, 
and  she  sat  down  by  that  basket  of  socks,  while  Mark 
wished  her  away.  Awhile  they  talked  of  Katy  and  New 
York,  Mark  laboring  to  convince  Helen  that  its  people 
were  not  all  heartless  and  fickle,  and  at  last  citing  his 
mother  as  an  instance. 

"You  would  like  mother,  Miss  Lennox.  I  hope  you 
will  know  her  some  time,"  he  said,  and  then  they  talked 
of  books,  Helen  forgetting  that  Mark  was  city-bred  in 
the  interest  with  which  she  listened  to  him,  while  Mark 
forgot  that  the  girl  vfho  appreciated  and  understood  his 
views  almost  before  they  were  expressed,  was  country  born, 
and  clad  in  homely  garb,  with  no  ornaments  save  those 
of  her  fine  mind  and  the  sparkling  face  turned  so  fully 
towards  him. 

"  Mark  Eay  is  not  like  Wilf  ord  Cameron,"  Helen  said 
to  herself,  when  as  the  clock  was  striking  eleven  she  bade 
him  good-night  and  went  up  to  her  room,  and  opening  her 
window  she  leaned  her  hot  cheek  against  the  wet  casement, 
and  looked  out  upon  the  night,  now  so  beautiful  and 
clear,  for  the  rain  was  over,  and  up  in  the  heavens  the 
bright  stars  were  shining,  each  one  bearing  some  resem 
blance  to  Mark's  eyes  as  they  kindled  and  grew  bright  with 
his  excitement,  resting  always  kindly  on  her — on  Helen, 
who  leaning  thus  from  the  window,  felt  stealing  over  her 
that  feeling  which,  once  born,  can  never  be  quite  forgotten. 

Helen  did  not  recognize  the  feeling,  for  it  was  a  strange 
one  to  her.  She  was  only  conscious  of  a  sensation  half 
pleasurable,  half  sad,  of  which  Mark  Eay  had  been  the 
cause,  and  which  she  tried  in  vain  to  put  aside.  And  then 


164  The  Cameron  Pride. 

there  swept  over  her  a  feeling  of  desolation  such  as  she 
had  never  experienced  before,  a  shrinking  from  living  all 
her  life  in  Silverton,  ns  she  fully  expected  to  do,  and  laying 
her  head  upon  the  little  stand,  she  cried  passionately. 

"  This  is  weak,  this  is  folly,"  she  suddenly  exclaimed, 
as  she  became  conscious  of  acting  as  Helen  Lennox  was 
not  wont  to  act,  and  with  a  strong  effort  she  dried  her  tears 
and  crept  quietly  to  bed  just  as  Mark  was  falling  into  his 
first  sleep  and  dreaming  of  smothering. 

Helen  would  not  have  acknowledged  it,  and  yet  it  was 
a  truth  not  to  be  denied,  that  she  stayed  next  morning  a 
much  longer  time  than  usual  before  her  glass,  arranging 
her  hair,  which  was  worn  more  becomingly  than  on  the 
previous  night,  and  which  softened  the  somewhat  too  in 
tellectual  expression  of  her  face,  and  made  her  seem  more 
womanly  and  modest.  Once  she  thought  to  wear  the  light 
buff  gown  in  which  she  looked  so  well,  but  the  thought 
was  repudiated  as  soon  as  formed,  and  donning  the  same 
dark  calico  she  would  have  worn  if  Mark  had  not  been 
there,  she  finished  her  simple  toilet  and  went  down  stairs, 
just  as  Mark  came  in  at  the  side  door,  his  hands  full  of 
water  lilies,  and  his  boots  bearing  marks  of  what  he  had 
been  through  to  get  them. 

"  Early  country  air  is  healthful,"  he  said,  "  and  as  I 
do  not  often  have  a  chance  to  try  it,  I  thought  I  would 
improve  the  present  opportunity.  So  I  have  been  down  by 
the  pond,  and  spying  these  lilies  I  persevered  until  I 
reached  them,  in  spite  of  mud  and  mire.  There  is  no 
blossom  I  like  so  well.  Were  I  a  young  girl  I  would  al 
ways  wear  one  in  my  hair,  as  your  sister  did  one  night  at 
Newport,  and  I  never  saw  her  look  better.  Just  let  me 
try  the  effect  on  you ; "  and  selecting  a  half-opened  bud, 
Mark  placed  it  among  Helen's  braids  as  skillfully  as  if 
hair-dressing  were  one  of  his  accomplishments.  "  The  ef 
fect  is  good,"  he  continued,  turning  her  blushing  face  to 
the  glass  and  asking  if  it  were  not. 

"  Yes,"  Helen  stammered,  seeing  more  the  saucy  eyes 
looking  over  her  head  than  the  lily  in  her  hair.  '"Yes, 
good  enough,  but  hardly  in  keeping  with  this  old  dress," 
and  vanity  whispered  the  wish  that  the  buff  had  really 
been  worn. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  165 

"  Your  dress  is  suitable  for  morning,  I  am  sure,"  Mark 
replied,  turning  a  little  more  to  the  right  the  lily,  and 
noticing  as  he  did  so  how  very  white  and  pretty  was  the 
neck  and  throat  seen  above  the  collar. 

Mark  liked  a  pretty  neck,  and  he  was  glad  to  know  that 
Helen  had  one,  though  why  he  should  care  was  a  puzzle. 
He  could  hardly  have  analyzed  his  feelings  then,  or  told 
what  he  did  think  of  Helen.  He  only  knew  that  by  her 
efforts  to  repel  him  she  attracted  him  the  more,  she  was 
so  different  from  any  young  ladies  he  had  known — so  dif 
ferent  from  Juno,  into  whose  hair  he  had  never  twined  a 
water  lily.  It  would  not  become  her  as  it  did  Helen,  he 
thought,  as  ho  sat  opposite  her  at  the  table,  admiring  his 
handiwork,  which  even  Aunt  Betsy  observed,  remarking 
that  "  Helen  was  mightily  spruced  up  for  morning,"  a 
compliment  which  Helen  acknowledged  with  a  painful 
blush,  while  Mark  began  a  disquisition  upon  the  nature  of 
lilies  generally,  which  lasted  until  breakfast  was  ended. 

It  was  arranged  that  Mark  should  ride  to  the  cars  with 
Uncle  Ephraim  when  he  went  for  Katy,  and  as  this  gave 
him  a  good  two  hours  of  leisure,  he  spoke  of  Dr.  Grant, 
asking  Helen  if  she  did  not  suppose  he  would  call  round. 
Helen  thought  it  possible,  and  then  remembering  how 
many  things  were  to  be  done  that  morning,  she  excused 
herself  from  the  parlor,  and  repairing  to  the  platform 
out  by  the  back  door,  where  it  was  shady  and  cool,  she 
tied  on  a  broad  check  apron,  and  rolling  her  sleeves  above 
her  elbows,  was  just  bringing  the  churn-dasher  to  bear 
vigorously  upon  the  thick  cream  she  was  turning  into 
butter,  when,  having  finished  his  cigar,  Mark  went  out 
into  the  yard,  and  following  the  winding  path  came  sud 
denly  upon  her.  Helen's  first  impulse  was  to  stop,  but 
with  a  strong  nerving  of  herself  she  kept  on  while  Mark, 
coming  as  near  as  he  dared,  said  to  her :  "  Why  do  you  do 
that  ?  Is  there  no  one  else  ?  " 

"No,"  Helen  answered;  "that  is,  we  keep  no  servant, 
and  my  young  arms  are  stronger  than  the  others." 

"And  mine  are  stronger  still/'  Mark  laughingly  re 
joined,  as  he  put  Helen  aside  and  plied  the  dasher 'him 
self,  in  spite  of  her  protestations  that  he  would  certainly 
ruin  his  clothes. 


1 66  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"  Tie  that  apron  round  me,  then/'  he  said,  with  the 
utmost  nonchalance,  and  Helen  obeyed,  tying  her  check 
apron  around  the  young  man's  neck,  who  felt  her  hands 
as  they  touched  his  hair,  and  knew  that  they  were  brush 
ing  queer  fancies  into  his  brain — fancies  which  made  him 
wonder  what  his  mother  would  think  of  Helen,  or  what 
she  would  say  if  she  knew  just  how  he  was  occupied  that 
morning,  absolutely  churning  cream  until  it  turned  to 
butter,  for  Mark  persisted  until  the  task  was  done,  stand 
ing  by  while  Helen  gathered  up  the  golden  lumps,  and 
admiring  her  plump,  round  arms  quite  as  much  as  he  had 
her  neck. 

She  would  be  a  belle  like  her  sister,  though  of  a  dif 
ferent  stamp,  he  thought,  as  he  again  bent  down  his  head 
while  she  removed  the  apron  and  disclosed  more  than  one 
big  spot  upon  his  broadcloth.  Mark  assured  her  that  it 
did  not  matter;  his  coat  was  nearly  worn  out,  and  any 
way  he  never  should  regret  that  he  had  churned  once  in 
his  life,  or  forget  it  either;  and  then  he  asked  if  Helen 
would  be  in  New  York  the  coming  winter,  talking  of  the 
pleasure  it  would  be  to  meet  her  there,  until  Helen  began 
to  feel  what  rhe  never  before  had  felt,  a  desire  to  visit 
Katy  in  her  own  home. 

"  Remember  if  you  come  that  I  am  your  debtor  for 
numerous  hospitalities,"  he  said,  when  he  at  last  bade  her 
good-bye  and  sprang  into  the  covered  buggy,  which  Uncle 
Ephraim  had  brought  out  in  honor  of  Katy's  arrival. 


Old  Whitey  was  hitched  at  a  safe  distance  from  all  pos 
sible  harm.  Uncle  Ephraim  had  returned  from  the  store 
near  by,  laden  with  the  six  pounds  of  crush  sugar  and  the 
two  pounds  of  real  old  Java  he  had  been  commissioned 
to  purchase  with  a  view  to  Katy's  taste,  and  now  upon 
the  platform  at  West  Silverton  he  stood,  with  Mark  Ray, 
waiting  for  the  arrival  of  the  train  just  appearing  in  view 
across  the  level  plain. 

"  It's  fifteen  months  since  she  went  away,"  he  said,  and 
Mark  saw  that  the  old  man's  form  trembled  with  the  ex 
citement  of  meeting  her  again,  while  his  eyes  scanned 


The  Cameron  Pride.  167 

eagerly  every  window  and  door  of  the  cars  now  slowly  stop 
ping  before  him.  "  There,  there !  "  and  he  laid  his  hand 
nervously  on  Mark's  shoulder,  as  a  white,  jaunty  feather 
appeared  in  view ;  but  that  was  not  Katy,  and  the  dim  eyes 
ran  again  along  the  whole  line  of  the  cars,  from  which 
so  many  were  alighting. 

But  Katy  did  not  come,  and  with  a  long  breath  of  won 
der  and  disappointment  the  deacon  said :  "  Can  it  be  she 
is  asleep?  Young  man,  you  are  spryer  than  I.  Go 
through  the  cars  and  find  her." 

Mark  knew  there  was  plenty  of  time,  and  so  he  made 
the  tour  of  the  cars,  but  found,  alas,  no  Katy. 

"  She's  not  there,"  was  the  report  carried  to  the  poor 
old  man,  who  tremblingly  repeated  the  words :  "  Not 
there,  not  come ! "  while  over  his  aged  face  there  broke 
a  look  of  touching  sadness,  which  Mark  never  forgot,  re 
membering  it  always  just  as  he  remembered  the  big  tear 
drops  which  from  his  seat  by  the  window  he  saw  the  old 
man  wipe  away  with  his  coat-sleeve,  as  whispering  softly 
to  Whitey  of  his  disappointment  he  unhitched  the  horse 
and  drove  away  alone. 

"  Maybe  she's  writ.  I'll  go  and  see,"  he  said,  and 
driving  to  their  regular  office  he  found  a  letter  directed 
by  Wilford  Cameron,  but  written  by  Katy;  but  he  could 
not  read  it  then,  and  thrusting  it  into  his  pocket  he  went 
slowly  back  to  the  home  where  the  tempting  dinner  was 
prepared  and  the  fami]y  waiting  so  eagerly  for  him.  Even 
before  he  reached  them  they  knew  of  the  disappointment, 
for  from  the  garret  window  Helen  had  watched  the  road 
by  which  he  would  come,  and  when  the  buggy  appeared 
in  sight  she  saw  he  was  alone. 

There  was  a  mistake;  Katy  had  missed  the  train,  she 
said  to  her  mother  and  aunts,  who  hoped  she  might  be 
right.  But  Katy  had  not  missed  the  train,  as  was  indi 
cated  by  the  letter  which  Uncle  Ephraim  without  a  word 
put  into  Helen's  hand,  leaning  on  old  Whitey's  neck  while 
she  read  aloud  the  attempt  at  an  explanation  which  Katy 
had  hurriedly  written,  a  stain  on  the  paper  where  a  tear 
had  fallen,  attesting  her  distress  at  the  bitter  disappoint 
ment. 

"  Wilford  did  not  know  of  the  other  letter,"  she  said, 


168  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"  and  had  made  arrangements  for  her  to  go  back  with  him 
to  New  York,  inasmuch  as  the  house  was  already  opened 
and  the  servants  there  wanting  a  head;  besides  that,  Wil- 
ford  had  been  absent  so  long  that  he  could  not  possibly 
stop  at  Silverton  himself,  and  as  he  would  not  think  of 
living  without  her,  even  for  a  few  days,  there  was  no  alter 
native  but  for  her  to  go  with  him  on  the  boat  directly 
to  New  York.  I  am  sorry,  oh,  so  sorry,  but  indeed  I  am 
not  to  blame,"  she  added  in  conclusion,  and  this  was  the 
nearest  approach  there  was  to  an  admission  that  anybody 
was  to  blame  for  this  disappointment  which  cut  so  cruelly, 
making  Uncle  Ephraim  cry,  as  out  in  the  barn  he  hung 
away  the  mended  harness  and  covered  the  new  buggy, 
which  had  been  bought  for  naught. 

"  I  might  have  had  the  overcoat,  for  Katy  will  never 
come  home  again,  never.  God  grant  that  it's  the  Cameron 
pride,  not  hers  that  kept  her  from  us,"  the  old  man  said, 
as  on  the  hay  he  knelt  down  and  prayed  that  Katy  had  not 
learned  to  despise  the  home  where  she  was  so  beloved. 

"  Katy  will  never  come  to  us  again,"  seemed  the  prevail 
ing  opinion  at  Silverton,  where  more  than  Uncle  Ephraim 
felt  a  chilling  doubt  at  times  as  to  whether  she  really 
wished  to  come  or  not.  If  she  did,  it  seemed  easy  of  ac 
complishment  to  those  who  knew  not  Jiow  perfect  and  com 
plete  were  the  fetters  thrown  around  her,  and  how  unbend 
ing  the  will  which  governed  hers.  Could  they  have  seen 
the  look  in  Katy's  face  when  she  first  understood  that  she 
was  not  going  to  Silverton,  their  hearts  would  have  bled 
for  the  thwarted  creature  who  fled  up  the  stairs  to  her  own 
room,  where  Esther  found  her  twenty  minutes  later,  cold 
and  fainting  upon  the  bed,  her  face  as  white  as  ashes,  and 
her  hands  clenched  so  tightlv  that  the  nails  left  marks 
upon  the  palms. 

"  It  was  not  strange  that  the  poor  child  should  faint — 
indeed,  it  was  only  natural  that  nature  should  give  way 
after  so  many  weeks  of  gayety,  and  she  very  far  from 
being  strong,"  Mrs.  Cameron  said  to  Wilford,  who  was 
beginning  to  repent  of  his  decision,  and  who  but  for  that 
remark  perhaps  might  have  revoked  it. 

Indeed,  he  made  an  attempt  to  do  so  when,  as  conscious 
ness  came  back,  Katy  lay  so  pale  and  still  before  him; 


The  Cameron  Pride.  169 

but  Katy  did  not  understand  him,  or  guess  that  he  wished 
her  to  meet  him  more  than  half  the  way,  and  so  the  verdict 
was  unchanged,  and  in  a  kind  of  bewilderment,  Katy  wrote 
the  hurried  letter,  feeling  less  actual  pain  than  did  its 
readers,  for  the  disappointment  had  stunned  her  for  a 
time,  and  all  she  could  remember  of  the  passage  home  on 
that  same  night  when  Mark  Ray  snt  with  Helen  in  the 
sitting-room  at  Silverton,  was  that  there  was  a  fearful 
storm  of  rain  mingled  with  lightning  flashes  and  thunder 
peals,  which  terrified  the  other  ladies,  but  brought  to  her 
no  other  sensation  save  that  it  would  not  be  so  very  hard 
to  perish  in  the  dark  waters  dashing  so  madly  about  the 
vessel's  side. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

A   NEW   LIFE. 

NEW  YORK,  December  16,  18 — . 
"TO  MISS  HELEN  LENNOX,  SILVERTON,  MASS: 
"  Your  sister  is  very  ill.     Come  as  soon  as  possible. 

W.  CAMERON/' 

This  was  the  purport  of  a  telegram  received  at  the  farm 
house  toward  the  close  of  a  chill  December  day,  and 
Helen's  heart  almost  stopped  its  beating  as  she  read  it 
aloud,  and  then  looked  in  the  white,  scared  faces  of  those 
around  her.  Katy  was  very  ill— dying,  perhaps — or  Wil- 
ford  had  never  telegraphed.  What  could  it  be?  What 
was  the  matter?  Had  it  been  somewhat  later,  they  would 
have  known;  but  now  all  was  conjecture,  and  in  a  half- 
distracted  state,  Helen  made  her  hasty  prepn rations  for  the 
journey  of  the  morrow,  and  then  sent  for  Morris,  hoping 
he  might  offer  some  advice  or  suggestion,  for  her  to  carry 
to  that  sick-room  in  New  York. 

"  Perhaps  you  will  go  with  me,"  Helen  said.  "  You 
know  Katy's  constitution.  You  might  save  her  life." 

But  Morris  shook  his  head.  If  he  was  needed  they 
might  send  and  he  would  come,  but  not  without;  and  so 
next  day  he  carried  Helen  to  the  cars,  saying  to  her  as  they 
were  waiting  for  the  train,  "  I  hope  for  the  best,  but  it 
may  be  Katy  will  die.  If  you  think  so,  tell  her,  oh,  tell 


170  The  Cameron  Pride. 

her,  of  the  better  world,  and  ask  if  she  is  prepared?  I 
cannot  lose  her  in  Heaven." 

And  this  was  all  the  message  Morris  sent,  though  his 
heart  and  prayers  went  after  the  rapid  train  which  bore 
Helen  safely  onward,  until  Hartford  was  reached,  where 
there  was  a  long  detention,  so  that  the  dark  wintry  night 
had  closed  over  the  city  ere  Helen  reached  it,  timid,  anx 
ious,  and  wondering  what  she  should  do  if  Wilford  was  not 
there  to  meet  her.  "  He  will  be,  of  course,"  she  kept  re 
peating  to  herself,  looking  around  in  dismay,  as  passenger 
after  passenger  left,  seeking  in  stages  and  street  cars  a 
swifter  passage  to  their  homes. 

"  I  shall  soon  be  all  alone/'  she  said,  feeling  some  re 
lief  as  the  car  in  which  she  was  seated  began  at  last  to 
move,  and  she  knew  she  was  being  taken  whither  the  others 
had  gone,  wherever  that  might  be. 

"  Is  Miss  Helen  Lennox  here  ?  "  sounded  cheerily  in  her 
ears  as  she  stopped  before  the  depot,  and  Helen  uttered 
a  cry  of  joy,  for  she  recognized  the  voice  of  Mark  Kay, 
who  was  soon  grasping  her  hand,  and  trying  to  reassure 
her,  as  he  saw  how  she  shrank  from  the  noise  and  clamor 
of  New  York,  heard  now  for  the  first  time.  "  Our  car 
riage  is  here,"  he  said,  and  in  a  moment  she  found  herself 
in  a  close-covered  vehicle,  with  Mark  sitting  opposite,  tuck 
ing  the  warm  blanket  around  her,  asking  if  she  were  cold, 
and  paying  those  numberless  little  attentions  so  gratifying 
to  one  always  accustomed  to  act  and  think  for  herself. 

Helen  could  not  see  Mark's  face  distinctly;  but  full  of 
fear  for  Katy,  she  fancied  there  was  a  sad  tone  in  his 
voice,  as  if  he  were  keeping  back  something  he  dreaded 
to  tell  her;  and  then,  as  it  suddenly  occurred  to  her  that 
Wilford  should  have  met  her,  not  Mark,  her  great  fear 
found  utterance  in  words,  and  leaning  forward  so  that  her 
face  almost  touched  Mark's  she  said,  "  Tell  me,  Mr.  Ray, 
is  Katy  dead  ?  " 

"  Not  dead,  oh  no,  nor  very  dangerous,  my  mother  hopes ; 
but  she  kept  asking  for  you,  and  so  my — that  is,  Mr. 
Cameron  sent  the  telegram." 

There  was  an  ejaculatory  prayer  of  thankfulness,  and 
then  Helen  continued,  "  Is  it  long  since  she  was  taken 
sick?" 


The  Cameron  Pride.  171 

"  Her  little  daughter  will  be  a  week  old  to-morrow," 
Mark  replied;  while  Helen,  with  an  exclamation  of  sur 
prise  she  could  not  repress,  sank  back  into  the  corner,  faint 
and  giddy  with  the  excitement  of  this  fact,  which  invested 
little  Katy  with  a  new  dignity,  and  drew  her  so  much 
nearer  to  the  sister  who  could  scarcely  wait  for  the  carriage 
to  stop,  so  anxious  was  she  to  be  where  Katy  was,  to  kise 
her  dear  face  once  more,  and  whisper  the  words  of  lov& 
she  knew  she  must  have  longed  to  hear. 

Awe-struck,  bewildered  and  half  terrified,  Helen  looked 
up  at  the  huge  brown  structure,  which  Mark  designated 
as  "  the  place."  It  was  so  lofty,  so  grand,  so  like  the  Cam- 
erons,  and  so  unlike  the  farm-house  far  away,  that  Helen 
trembled  as  she  followed  Mark  into  the  rooms  flooded 
with  light,  and  seeming  to  her  like  fairy  land.  They  were 
so  different  from'  anything  she  had  imagined,  so  much 
handsomer  than  even  Katy's  descriptions  had  implied,  that 
for  the  moment  the  sight  took  her  breath  away,  and  she 
sank  passively  into  the  chair  Mark  brought  for  her,  him 
self  taking  her  muff  and  tippet,  and  noting,  as  he  did  so, 
that  they  were  not  mink,  nor  yet  Eussian  sable,  but  well- 
worn,  well-kept  fitch,  such  as  Juno  would  laugh  at  and 
criticise.  But  Helen's  dress  was  a  matter  of  small  mo 
ment  to  Mark,  and  he  thought  more  of  the  look  in  her 
dark  eyes  than  of  all  the  furs  in  Broadway,  as  she  said  to 
him,  "  You  are  very  kind,  Mr.  Eay.  I  cannot  thank  you 
enough."  This  remark  had  been  wrung  from  Helen  by 
the  feeling  of  homesickness  which  swept  over  her,  as  she 
thought  how  really  alone  she  should  be  there,  in  her 
sister's  house,  on  this  first  night  of  her  arrival,  if  it  were 
not  for  Mark,  thus  virtually  taking  the  place  of  the  brother- 
in-law,  who  should  have  been  there  to  greet  her. 

"  He  was  with  Mrs.  Cameron,"  the  servant  said,  and 
taking  out  a  card  Mark  wrote  down  a  few  words,  and 
handing  it  to  the  servant  who  had  been  looking  curiously 
at  Helen,  he  continued  standing  until  a  step  was  heard 
on  the  stairs  and  Wilford  came  quietly  in. 

It  was  not  a  very  loving  meeting,  out  Helen  was  civil 
and  Wilford  was  polite  offering  her  his  hand  and  asking 
some  questions  about  her  journey. 

"I  was  intending  to  meet  you  myself/'  he  said,  "but 


172  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Mrs.  Cameron  does  not  like  me  to  leave  her,  and  Mark 
kindly  offered  to  take  the  trouble  off  my  hands." 

He  was  looking  pale  and  anxious,  while  there  was  on 
his  face  the  light  of  a  new  joy,  as  if  the  little  life  begun 
so  short  a  time  ago  had  brought  an  added  good  to  him. 
softening  his  haughty  manner  and  making  him  even  en 
durable  to  the  prejudiced  sister  watching  him  so  closely. 

"  Does  Phillips  know  you  are  here  ?  "  he  asked,  answer 
ing  his  own  query  by  ringing  the  bell  and  bidding  Esther, 
who  appeared,  tell  Phillips  that  Miss  Lennox  had  arrived, 
and  wished  for  supper,  explaining  to  Helen  that  since 
Katy's  illness  they  had  dined  at  three,  as  that  accommo 
dated  them  the  best. 

This  done  and  Helen's  baggage  ordered  to  her  room,  he 
seemed  to  think  he  had  discharged  his  duty  as  host,  and 
as  Mark  had  left  he  began  to  grow  fidgety,  for  a  tete-a 
tete  with  Helen  was  not  what  he  desired.  He  had  said  to 
her  all  he  could  think  to  say,  for  it  never  once  occurred 
to  him  to  inquire  after  the  deacon's  family.  He  had  asked 
for  Dr.  Grant,  but  his  solicitude  went  no  further,  and  the 
inmates  of  the  farm-house  might  have  b^en  dead  and  buried 
for  aught  he  knew  to  the  contrary.  The  omission  was  not 
made  purposely,  but  because  he  really ^ did  not  feel  enough 
of  interest  in  people  so  widely  different  from  himself  even 
to  ask  for  them,  much  less  to  suspect  how  Helen's  blood 
boiled  as  she  detected  the  omission  and  imputed  it  to  in 
tended  slight,  feeling  glad  when  he  excused  himself,  say 
ing  he  must  go  back  to  Katy,  but  would  send  his  mother 
down  to  see  her.  His  mother.  Then  she  was  there,  the 
one  whom  Helen  dreaded  most  of  all,  whom  she  had  in 
vested  with  every  possible  terror,  hoping  now  that  she 
would  not  be  in  haste  to  come  down.  She  might  have 
spared  herself  anxiety  on  this  point,  as  the  lady  in  ques 
tion  was  not  anxious  to  meet  a  person  who,  could  she  have 
had  her  way,  would  not  have  been  there  at  all. 

From  the  first  moment  of  consciousness  after  the  long 
hours  of  suffering  Katy  had  asked  for  Helen,  rather  than 
her  mother. 

"  Send  for  Helen ;  I  am  so  tired,  and  she  could  alwaya 
rest  me,"  was  her  reply,  when  asked  by  Wilford  what  he 
could  do  for  her.  "  Send  for  Helen ;  I  want  her  so 


The  Cameron  Pride.  173 

much,"  she  had  said  to  Mrs.  Cameron,  when  she  came,  re 
peating  the  wish  until  a  consultation  was  held  between 
the  mother  and  son,  touching  the  propriety  of  sending 
for  Helen.  "  She  would  be  of  no  use  whatever,  and  might 
excite  our  Katy.  Quiet  is  highly  important  just  now," 
Mrs.  Cameron  had  said,  thus  veiling  under  pretended  con 
cern  for  Katy  her  aversion  to  the  girl  whose  independence 
in  declining  her  dress-maker  had  never  been  forgiven,  and 
whom  she  had  set  down  in  her  mind  as  rude  and  ignorant. 

"  If  her  coming  would  do  Katy  harm  she  ought  not  to 
come/'  Wilford  thought,  while  Katy  in  her  darkened  room 
moaned  on — 

"  Send  for  sister  Helen ;  please  send  for  sister  Helen." 

At  last,  on  the  fourth  day,  Mrs.  Banker,  Mark  Kay's 
mother,  came  to  the  house,  and  in  consideration  of  the 
strong  liking  she  had  evinced  for  Katy  ever  since  her  ar 
rival  in  New  York,  and  the  great  respect  felt  for  her  by 
Mrs.  Cameron,  she  was  admitted  to  the  chamber  and  heard 
the  plaintive  pleadings,  fc  Send  for  sister  Helen,"  until 
her  motherly  heart  was  touched,  and  as  she  sat  w1'^  her 
son  at  dinner  she  spoke  of  the  young  girl-mother  moaning 
so  for  Helen. 

Whether  it  was  Mark's  great  pity  for  Katy,  or  whether 
he  was  prompted  by  some  more  selfish  motive,,  we  do  not 
profess  to  say,  but  that  he  was  greatly  excited  was  very 
evident  from  his  manner  as  he  exclaimed : 

"  Why  not  send  for  Helen,  then  ?  She  is  a  splendid 
girl,  and  they  idolize  each  other.  Talk  of  her  injuring 
Katy,  that's  all  a  humbug.  She  is  just  fitted  for  a  nurae. 
Almost  the  sight  of  her  would  cure  one  of  nervousness,  she 
is  so  calm  and  quiet." 

This  was  what  Mark  said,  and  the  next  morning  Mrs. 
Banker's  carriage  stood  at  the  door  of  No.  —  Madison 
Square,  while  Mrs.  Banker  herself  was  talking  to  Wilford 
in  the  library,  and  urging  that  Helen  be  sent  for  at  once. 

"  It  may  save  her  life.  She  is  more  feverish  to-day  than 
yesterday,  and  this  constant  asking  for  her  sister  will  wear 
her  out  so  fast,"  she  added,  and  that  last  argument  pre 
vailed. 

Helen  was  sent  for,  and  now  sat  waiting  in  the  parlor 
for  the  coming  of  Mrs.  Cameron.  Wilford  did  not  mean 


174  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Katy  to  hear  him  as  he  whispered  to  his  mother  that  Helen 
was  below;  but  she  did,  and  her  blue  eyes  flashed  brightly 
as  she  started  from  her  pillow,  exclaiming: 

"  I  am  so  glad,  so  glad !  Kiss  me,  Wilford,  because  I 
am  so  glad.  Does  she  know  ?  Have  you  told  her  ?  Wasn't 
she  surprised,  and  will  she  come  up  quick  ?  " 

They  could  not  quiet  her  at  once,  and  only  the  assurance 
that  unless  she  were  more  composed,  Helen  should  not 
see  her  that  night,  had  any  effect  upon  her;  but  when  they 
told  her  that,  she  lay  back  upon  her  pillow  submissively, 
and  Wilford  saw  the  great  tears  dropping  from  her  hot 
cheeks,,  while  the  pallid  lips  kept  softly  whispering 
"  Helen."  Then  the  sister  love  took  another  channel,  and 
she  said: 

"  She  has  not  been  to  supper,  and  Phillips  is  always 
cross  at  extras.  Will  somebody  see  to  it.  Send  Esther  to 
me,  please.  Esther  knows  and  is  good-natured." 

"  Mother  will  do  all  that  is  necessary  She  is  going 
down/7  Wilford  said;  but  Katy  had  quite  as  much  fear 
of  leaving  Helen  to  "  mother  "  as  to  Phillips,  and  insisted 
upon  Esther  until  the  latter  came,  receiving  numerous  in 
junctions  as  to  the  jam,  the  sweetmeats,  the  peaches,  and 
the  cold  ham  Helen  must  have,  each  one  being  remembered 
as  her  favorite. 

Wholly  unselfish,  Katy  thought  nothing  of  herself  or 
the  effort  it  cost  her  to  care  for  Helen;  but  when  it  was 
over  and  Esther  was  gone,  she  seemed  so  utterly  exhausted 
that  Mrs.  Cameron  did  not  leave  her,  but  stayed  at  her  bed 
side,  until  the  extreme  paleness  was  gone,  and  her  eyes 
were  more  natural.  Meanwhile  the  supper,  which  as  Katy 
feared  had  made  Phillips  cross,  had  been  arranged  by 
Esther,  who  conducted  Helen  to  the  dining-room,  herself 
standing  by  and  waiting  upon  her  because  the  one  whose 
duty  it  was  had  gone  out  for  the  evening,  and  Phillips 
had  declined  the  "  honor,"  as  she  styled  it. 

There  was  a  homesick  feeling  tugging  at  Helen's  heart 
while  she  tried  to  eat,  and  only  the  certainty  that  Katy 
was  not  far  away  kept  her  tears  back.  To  her  the  very 
grandeur  of  the  house  made  it  desolate,  and  she  was  so 
glad  it  was  Katy  who  lived  there  and  not  herself  as  she 
went  up  the  soft  carpeted  stairway,  which  gave  back  no 


The  Cameron  Pride.  175 

sound,  and  through  the  marble  hall  to  the  parlor,  where, 
by  the  table  on  which  her  cloak  and  furs  were  lying,  a 
lady  stood,  as  dignified  and  unconscious  as  if  she  had  not 
been  inspecting  the  self-same  fur  which  Mark  Kay  had 
observed,  but  not,  like  him,  thinking  it  did  not  matter, 
for  it  did  matter  very  materially  with  her,  and  a  smile 
of  contempt  had  curled  her  lip  as  she  turned  over  the  tippei 
which  Phillips  would  not  have  worn. 

"  I  wonder  how  long  she  means  to  stay,  and  if  Wilford 
will  have  to  take  her  out,"  she  was  thinking,  just  as  Helen 
appeared  in  the  door  and  advanced  into  the  room. 

By  herself,  it  was  easy  to  slight  Helen  Lennox,  but  in 
her  presence  Mrs.  Cameron  found  it  very  hard  to  appear 
as  cold  and  distant  as  she  had  meant  to  do,  for  there 
was  something  about  Helen  which  commanded  her  respect, 
and  she  went  forward  to  meet  her,  offering  her  hand  and 
saying  cordially: 

"  Miss  Lennox,  I  presume — my  daughter  Katy's  sister  ?  " 

Helen  had  not  expected  this,  and  the  warm  flush  which 
came  to  her  cheeks  made  her  very  handsome,  as  she  re 
turned  Mrs.  Cameron's  greeting,  and  then  asked  more  par 
ticularly  for  Katy  than  she  had  yet  done.  For  a  while 
they  talked  together,  Mrs.  Cameron  noting  carefully  every 
item  of  Helen's  attire,  as  well  as  the  purity  of  her  language 
and  her  perfect  repose  of  manner  after  the  first  stiff 
ness  had  passed  away. 

"  Naturally  a  lady  as  well  as  Katy ;  there  must  be  good 
blood  somewhere,  probably  on  the  Lennox  side,"  was  Mrs. 
Cameron's  private  opinion,  while  Helen,  after  a  few  mo 
ments,  began  to  feel  far  more  at  ease  with  Mrs.  Cameron 
than  she  had  done  in  the  dining-room  with  Esther  waiting 
on  her,  and  the  cross  Phillips  stalking  once  through  the 
room  for  no  ostensible  purpose  except  to  get  a  sight  of 
her. 

Helen  wondered  at  herself,  and  Mrs.  Cameron  wondered 
too,  trying  to  decide  whether  it  were  ignorance,  conceit, 
obtuseness,  or  what,  which  made  her  so  self-possessed  when 
she  was  expected  to  appear  so  different. 

"  Strong-minded,"  was  her  final  decision,  as  she  said 
at  last,  "  We  promised  Katy  she  should  see  you  to-night. 
Will  you  go  now  ?  " 


176  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Then  the  color  left  Helen's  face  and  lips  and  her  limbs 
shook  perceptibly,  for  the  knowing  she  was  soon  to  meet 
her  sister  unnerved  her ;  but  by  the  time  the  door  of  Katy's 
room  was  reached  she  was  herself  again,  and  there  was 
no  need  for  Mrs.  Cameron  to  whisper,  "  Pray  do  not  ex 
cite  her." 

Katy  heard  her  coming,  and  it  required  all  Wilford's 
and  the  nurse's  efforts  to  keep  her  quiet. 

"  Helen,  Helen,  darling,  darling  sister !  "  she  cried,  as 
she  wound  her  arms  around  Helen's  neck,  and  laid  her 
golden  head  on  Helen's  bosom,  sobbing  in  a  low,  mourn 
ful  way  which  told  Helen  more  how  she  had  been  longed 
for  than  did  the  weak  voice  which  whispered,  "  I've  wanted 
you  so  much,  oh  Helen;  you  don't  know  how  much  I've 
missed  you  all  the  years  I've  been  away.  You  will  not 
leave  me  now,"  and  Katy  clung  closer  to  the  dear  sister 
who  gently  unclasped  the  clinging  arms  and  put  back  upon 
the  pillow  the  quivering  face,  which  she  kissed  so  tenderly, 
whispering  in  her  own  old  half  soothing,  half  commanding 
way,  "  Be  quiet  now,  Katy.  It's  best  that  you  should.  No, 
I  will  not  leave  you." 

Next  to  Dr.  Grant  Helen  had  more  influence  over  Katy 
than  any  living  being,  and  it  was  very  apparent  now,  for, 
as  if  her  presence  had  a  power  to  soothe,  Katy  grew  very 
quiet,  and  utterly  wearied  out,  slept  for  a  few  moments 
with  Helen's  hand  fast  locked  in  hers.  When  she  awoke 
the  tired  look  was  gone,  and  turning  to  her  sister  she  said, 
"  Have  you  seen  my  baby  ?  "  while  the  young  mother  love 
which  broke  so  beautifully  over  her  pale  face,  made  it  the 
face  of  an  angel. 

"  It  seems  so  funny  that  it  is  Katy's  baby,"  Helen  said, 
taking  the  puny  little  thing,  which  with  its  wrinkled  face 
and  red,  clinched  fists  was  not  very  attractive  to  her,  save 
as  she  looked  at  it  with  Katy's  eyes. 

She  did  not  even  kiss  it,  but  her  tears  dropped  upon  its 
head  as  she  thought  how  short  the  time  since  up  in  tho 
old  garret  at  home  she  had  dressed  rag  dolls  for  the  Katy 
who  was  now  a  mother.  And  still  in  a  measure  she  was 
the  same,  hugging  Helen  fondly  when  she  said  good-night, 
and  welcoming  her  so  joyfully  in  the  morning  when  she 


The  Cameron  Pride.  177 

came  again,  telling  her  how  just  the  sight  of  her  sitting 
there  by  baby's  crib  did  her  so  much  good. 

"  I  shall  get  well  so  fast/7  she  said ;  and  she  was  right, 
for  Helen  was  worth  far  more  to  her  than  all  the  physi 
cian's  powders,  and  Wilford  was  glad  that  Helen  came, 
even  if  she  did  sometimes  shock  him  with  her  independent 
ways,  upsetting  all  his  plans  and  theories  with  regard  to 
Katy,  and  meeting  him  on  other  grounds  with  an  opposi 
tion  as  puzzling  as  it  was  new  to  him. 

To  Mrs.  Cameron  Helen  was  a  study;  she  seemed  to 
care  so  little  for  what  others  might  think  of  her,  evincing 
no  hesitation,  no  timidity,  when  told  the  second  day  after 
her  arrival  that  Mrs.  Banker  was  in  the  parlor,  and  had 
asked  to  see  Miss  Lennox.  Mrs.  Cameron  did  not  suspect 
how  under  that  calm,  unmoved  exterior,  Helen  was  hiding 
a  heart  which  beat  painfully  as  she  went  down  to  meet 
the  mother  of  Mark  Ray,  going  first  to  her  own  room 
to  make  some  little  change  in  her  toilet,  and  wishing  that 
her  dress  was  more  like  the  dress  of  those  around  her — 
like  Mrs.  Cameron's,  or  even  Esther's  and  the  fashionable 
nurse's.  One  glance  she  gave  to  the  brown  silk,  Wilford's 
gift,  but  her  good  sense  told  her  that  the  plain  merino 
she  wore  was  more  suitable  to  the  sick  room  where  she 
spent  her  time,  and  so  with  a  fresh  collar  and  cuffs,  and 
another  brush  of  her  hair,  she  went  to  Mrs.  Banker,  for 
getting  herself  in  her  pleasure  at  finding  in  the  stranger 
a  lady  so  wholly  congenial  and  familiar,  whose  mild,  dark 
eyes  rested  so  kindly  on  her,  and  whose  pleasant  voice  had 
something  motherly  in  its  tone,  putting  her  at  her  ease, 
and  making  her  appear  at  her  very  beet. 

Mrs.  Banker  was  pleased  with  Helen,  and  she  felt  a  kind 
of  pity  for  the  young  girl  thrown  so  suddenly  among 
strangers,  without  even  her  sister  to  assist  her. 

"Have  you  been  out  at  all?"  she  asked,  and  upon 
Helen's  replying  that  she  had  not,  she  answered,  "  That  is 
not  right.  Accustomed  to  the  fresh  country  air,  you  will 
suffer  from  too  close  confinement.  Suppose  you  ride  with 
me.  My  carriage  is  at  the  door,  and  I  have  a  few  hours' 
leisure.  Tell  your  sister  I  insist,"  she  continued,  as  Helen 
hesitated  between  inclination  and  what  she  fancied  was  her 
duty. 


178  The  Cameron  Pride. 

To  see  New  York  with  Mrs.  Banker  was  a  treat  indeed, 
and  Helen's  heart  bounded  high  as  she  rsfn  up  to  Katy's 
room  with  the  request. 

"  Yes,  go  by  all  means/'  Katy  said.  "  It  is  so  kind  in 
Mrs.  Banker,  and  so  like  her,  too.  I  meant  that  Wilford 
should  have  driven  with  you  to-day,  and  spoke  to  him 
about  it,  but  Mrs.  Banker  will  do  better.  Tell  her  I  thank 
her  so  much  for  her  thoughtfulness,"  and  with  a  kiss  Katy 
sent  Helen  away,  while  Mrs.  Cameron,  after  twisting  her 
rings  nervously  for  a  moment,  said  to  Katy : 

"  Perhaps  your  sister  will  do  well  to  wear  your  furs. 
Hers  are  small,  and  common  fitch." 

"  Yes,  certainly.  Take  them  to  her,"  Katy  answered, 
knowing  intuitively  the  feeling  which  had  prompted  this 
suggestion  from  her  mother-in-law,  who  hastened  to 
Helen's  room  with  the  rich  sable  she  was  to  wear  in  place 
of  the  old  fitch. 

Helen  appreciated  the  difference  at  once  between  her 
furs  and  Katy's  and  felt  a  pang  of  mortification  as  she 
saw  how  old  and  poor  and  dowdy  hers  were  beside  the 
others.  But  they  were  her  own — the  best  she  could  af 
ford.  She  would  not  begin  by  borrowing,  and  so  she  de 
clined  the  offer,  and  greatly  to  Mrs.  Cameron's  horror 
went  down  to  Mrs.  Banker  clad  in  the  despised  furs,  which 
Mrs.  Cameron  would  on  no  account  have  had  beside  her 
on  Broadway  in  an  open  carriage.  Mrs.  Banker  noticed 
them,  too,  but  the  eager,  happy  face,  which  grew  each  mo 
ment  brighter  as  they  drove  down  the  street,  more  than 
made  amends ;  and  in  watching  that  and  pointing  out  the 
places  which  they  passed,  Mrs.  Banker  forgot  the  furs  and 
the  coarse  straw  hat  whose  strings  of  black  had  undeniably 
been  dyed.  Never  in  her  life  had  Helen  enjoyed  a  ride  as 
she  did  that  pleasant  winter  day,  when  her  kind  friend 
took  her  wherever  she  wished  to  go,  showing  her  Broad 
way  in  its  glory  from  Union  Square  to  Wall  Street,  where 
they  encountered  Mark  in  the  bustling  crowd.  He  saw 
them,  and  beckoned  to  them,  while  Helen's  face  grew  red, 
as,  lifting  his  hat  to  her,  he  came  up  to  the  carriage,  and 
at  his  mother's  suggestion  took  a  seat  just  opposite,  asking 
where  they  had  been,  and  jocosely  laughing  at  his  mother's 
taste  in  selecting  such  localities  as  the  Five  Points,  the 


The  Cameron  Pride.  179 

Tombs  and  Barnum's  Museum,  when  there  were  so  many 
finer  places  to  be  seen. 

Helen  felt  the  hot  blood  pricking  the  roots  of  her  hair 
for  the  Five  Points,  the  Tombs  and  Barnum's  Museum 
had  been  her  choice  as  the  points  of  which  she  had  heard 
the  most.  So  when  Mark  continued : 

"  You  shall  ride  with  me,  Miss  Lennox,  and  I  will 
show  you  something  worth  your  seeing/'  she  frankly  an 
swered  : 

"  Your  mother  is  not  in  fault,  Mr.  Kay.  She  asked 
me  where  I  wished  to  go,  and  I  mentioned  these  places; 
so  please  attribute  it  wholly  to  my  country  breeding,  and 
not  to  your  mother's  lack  of  taste." 

There  was  something  in  the  frank  speech  which  won 
Mrs.  Banker's  heart,  while  she  felt  an  increased  respect 
for  the  young  girl,  who,  she  saw,  was  keenly  sensitive, 
even  with  all  her  strength  of  character. 

u  You  were  right  to  commence  as  you  have,"  she  said, 
"  for  now  you  have  a  still  greater  treat  in  store,  and  Mark 
shall  drive  you  to  the  Park  some  day.  I  know  you  will 
like  that." 

Helen  could  like  anything  with  that  friendly  voice  to 
reassure  her,  and  leaning  back  she  was  thinking  how  pleas 
ant  it  was  to  be  in  New  York,  how  different  from  what 
she  had  expected,  when  a  bow  from  Mark  made  her  look 
up  in  time  to  see  that  they  were  meeting  a  carriage,  in 
which  sat  Wilford,  with  two  gayly  dressed  ladies,  both  of 
whom  gave  her  a  supercilious  stare  as  they  passed  by, 
while  the  younger  of  the  two  half  turned  her  head,  as  if 
for  a  more  prolonged  gaze. 

"  Mrs.  Grandon  and  Juno  Cameron,"  Mrs.  Banker  said, 
making  some  further  remark  to  her  son,  while  Helen  felt 
that  the  brightness  of  the  day  had  changed,  for  she  could 
not  be  unconscious  of  the  look  with  which  she  had  been 
regarded  by  these  two  fashionable  ladies,  and  again  her 
furs  came  up  before  her,  bringing  a  felling  of  which  she 
was  ashamed,  especially  as  she  had  fancied  herself  above 
all  weakness  of  the  kind. 

That  night  at  the  dinner,  from  which  Mrs.  Cameron 
was  absent,  Wilford  was  unusually  gracious,  asking  "if 


180  The  Cameron  Pride. 

she  had  enjoyed  her  ride,  and  if  she  did  not  find  Mrs. 
Banker  a  very  pleasant  acquaintance." 

Wilford  felt  a  little  uncomfortable  at  having  suffered 
a  stranger  to  do  for  Katy's  sister  what  should  have  been 
done  by  himself.  Katy  had  asked  him  to  drive  with  Helen, 
but  he  had  found  it  very  convenient  to  forget  it,  and  take 
a  seat  instead  with  Juno  and  Mrs.  Grandon,  the  latter 
of  whom  complimented  "  Miss  Lennox's  fine  intellectual 
face,"'  after  they  had  passed,  and  complimented  it  the  more 
as  she  saw  how  it  vexed  Juno,  who  could  see  nothing  "  in 
those  bold  eyes  and  that  masculine  forehead,"  just  because 
their  vis-a-vis  chanced  to  be  Mark  Kay.  Juno  was  not 
pleased  with  Helen's  first  appearance  in  the  street,  but 
nevertheless  she  called  upon  her  next  day,  with  Sybil  Gran 
don  and  her  sister  Bell.  To  this  she  was  urged  by  Sybil, 
who,  having  a  somewhat  larger  experience  of  human 
nature,  foresaw  that  Helen  would  be  popular  just  because 
Mrs.  Banker  had  taken  her  up,  and  who,  besides,  had  con 
ceived  a  capricious  fancy  to  patronize  Miss  Lennox.  But 
in  this  she  was  foiled,  for  Helen  was  not  to  be  patronized, 
and  she  received  her  visitors  with  that  calm,  assured  man 
ner  so  much  a  part  of  herself. 

"  Diamond  cut  diamond,"  Belle  thought,  as  she  saw  how 
frigidly  polite  both  Juno  and  Helen  were,  each  recognizing 
in  the  other  something  antagonistic,  which  could  not  har 
monize. 

Had  Juno  never  cared  for  Dr.  Grant,  or  suspected  Helen 
of  standing  between  herself  and  him,  and  had  Mark  Eay 
never  stopped  at  Silverton,  or  been  seen  on  Broadway  with 
her,  she  might  have  judged  her  differently,  for  there  was 
something  attractive  in  Helen's  face  and  appearance  as 
she  sat  talking  to  her  guests,  with  as  much  quiet  dignity 
as  if  she  had  never  mended  Uncle  Ephraim's  socks  or  made 
a  pound  of  butter  among  the  huckleberry  hills.  Bell  was 
delighted,  detecting  at  once  traces  of  the  rare  mind  vhich 
Helen  Lennox  possessed,  and  wondering  to  find  it  so. 

"  I  hope  we  shall  see  each  other  often,"  she  said,  at 
parting.  "  I  do  not  go  out  a  great  deal  myself — that  is, 
not  so  much  as  Juno — but  I  shall  be  always  glad  to  wel 
come  you  to  my  den.  You  may  find  something  there  to 
interest  vou." 


The  Cameron  Pride.  181 

This  was  Bell's  leave-taking,  while  Sybil's  was,,  if  pos 
sible,  more  friendly,  for  she  took  a  perverse  kind  of  pleas 
ure  in  annoying  Juno,  who  wondered  "  what  she  or  Bell 
could  see  to  like  in  that  awkward  country  girl,  who  she 
knew  had  on  one  of  Katy's  cast-off  collars,  and  whose  ward 
robe  was  the  most  ordinary  she  ever  saw;  fitch  furs,  think 
of  that !  "  and  Juno  gave  a  little  pull  at  the  fastenings  of 
her  rich  ermine  collar,  showing  so  well  over  her  velvet 
basquine. 

"  Fitch  furs  or  not,  they  rode  with  Mark  Ray  on  Broad 
way,"  Bell  retorted,  with  a  wicked  look  in  her  eye,  which 
roused  Juno  to  a  still  higher  pitch  of  anger,  so  that  by 
the  time  the  carriage  stopped  at  No.  — ,  the  young  lady 
was  in  a  most  unamiable  frame  of  mind  as  regarded  both 
Helen  Lennox  and  the  offending  Mark. 

That  evening  there  was  at  Mrs.  Reynolds's  a  little  com 
pany  of  thirty  or  more,  and  as  Mark  was  present,  Juno 
seized  the  opportunity  of  ascertaining,  if  possible,  his 
real  opinion  of  Helen  Lennox,  joking  him  first  about  his 
having  taken  her  to  ride  so  soon,  and  insinuating  that  he 
must  have  a  penchant  for  every  new  and  pretty  face. 

"  Then  you  think  her  pretty  ?  You  have  called  on 
her  ?  "  Mark  replied,  his  manner  evincing  so  much  pleasure 
that  Juno  bit  her  lip  to  keep  down  her  wrath,  and  flash 
ing  upon  him  her  scornful  eyes,  replied:  "  Yes,  -Sybil 
and  Belle  insisted  that  I  should.  Of  myself  I  would 
never  have  done  it,  for  I  have  now  more  acquaintances 
than  I  can  attend  to,  and  do  not  care  to  increase  the  list. 
Besides  that,  I  do  not  imagine  that  Miss  Lennox  can  in 
any  way  add  to  my  happiness,  brought  up  as  she  has  been 
among  the  woods  and  hills,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  I  have  been  there — to  her  home,  I  mean,"  Mark 
rejoined,  and  Juno  continued: 

"  Only  for  a  moment,  though.  You  should  have  stayed, 
like  Will,  to  appreciate  it  fully.  I  wish  you  could  hear 
him  describe  the  feather  beds  on  which  he  slept — that  is, 
describe  them  before  he  decided  to  take  Katy;  for  after 
that  he  was  chary  of  his  remarks,  and  the  feathers  by 
some  marvelous  process  were  changed  into  hair,  for  what 
he  knew  or  cared." 

Mark  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  said,  quietly: 


1 82  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"I  have  stayed  there  all  night,  and  have  tested  that 
feather  bed,  but  found  nothing  disparaging  to  Helen,  who 
was  as  much  a  lady  in  the  farm-house  as  here  in  the  city." 

There  was  a  look  of  withering  scorn  on  Juno's  face  as 
she  replied, 

"  Pray,  how  long  since  you  took  to  visiting  Silverton 
so  frequently — becoming  so  familiar  as  to  spend  the 
night?" 

There  was  no  mistaking  the  jealousy  which  betrayed 
itself  in  every  tone  of  Juno's  voice  as  she  stood  before 
Mark,  a  fit  picture  of  the  enraged  goddess  whose  name 
she  bore.  Soon  recollecting  herself,  however,  she  changed 
her  mode  of  attack,  and  said,  laughingly, 

"  Seriously,  though,  this  Miss  Lennox  seems  a  very 
nice  girl,  and  is  admirably  fitted,  I  think,  for  the  position 
she  is  to  fill — that  of  a  country  physician's  wife''  and  in 
the  black  eyes  there  was  a  wicked  sparkle  as  Juno  saw 
that  her  meaning  was  readily  understood,  Mark  looking 
quickly  at  her,  and  asking  if  she  referred  to  Dr.  Grant. 

"  Certainly ;  I  imagine  that  was  settled  as  long  ago  as 
we  met  him  in  Paris.  Once  I  thought  it  might  have 
been  our  Katy,  but  was  mistaken.  I  think  the  doctor 
and  Miss  Lennox  'well  adapted  to  each  other.'* 

There  was  for  a  moment  a  dull,  heavy  pain  at  Mark's 
heart,  caused  by  that  little  item  of  information  which 
made  him  so  uncomfortable.  On  the  whole  he  did  not 
doubt  it,  for  everything  he  could  recall  of  Morris  had  a 
tendency  to  strengthen  the  belief.  Nothing  could  be  more 
probable,  thrown  together  as  they  had  been,  without  other 
congenial  society,  and  nothing  could  be  more  suitable. 

"  They  are  well  matched,"  Mark  thought,  as  he  walked 
listlessly  through  Mrs.  Keynolds's  parlors,  seeing  only 
one  face,  and  that  the  face  of  Helen  Lennox,  with  the  lilj 
in  her  hair,  just  as  it  looked  when  she  tied  the  apron 
about  his  neck  and  laughed  at  his  appearance. 

Helen  was  not  the  ideal  which  in  his  boyhood  Mark 
had  cherished  of  the  one  who  was  to  be  his  wife,  for  that 
was  of  a  woman  more  like  Juno,  with  whom  he  had  al 
ways  been  on  the  best  of  terms,  giving  her  some  reason 
for  believing  herself  the  favored  one;  but  ideals  change 
as  years  go  on,  and  Helen  Lennox  had  more  attractions 


The  Cameron  Pride.  183 

for  him  now  than  the  most  dashing  belle  of  his  acquaint 
ance. 

"I  do  not  believe  I  am  in  love  with  her,"  he  said  to 
himself  when,  after  his  return  from  Mrs.  Beynolds's  he 
sat  for  a  long  time  before  the  fire  in  his  dressing-room, 
cogitating  upon  what  he  had  heard,  and  wondering  why 
it  should  affect  him  so  much.  "  Of  course  I  am  not,"  he 
continued,  feeling  the  necessity  of  reiterating  the  assertion 
by  way  of  making  himself  believe  it.  "  She  is  not  at  all 
what  I  used  to  imagine  the  future  Mrs.  Mark  Eay  to  be. 
Half  my  friends  would  say  she  had  no  style,  no  beauty, 
and  perhaps  she  has  not.  Certainly  she  does  not  look 
just  like  the  ladies  at  Mrs.  Eeynolds's  to-night,  but  give 
her  the  same  advantages  and  she  would  surpass  them  all." 

And  then  Mark  Ray  went  off  into  a  reverie,  in  which 
he  saw  Helen  Lennox  his  wife,  and  with  the  aids  by  which 
he  would  surround  her,  rapidly  developing  into  as  splendid 
a  woman  as  little  Katy  Cameron,  who  did  not  need  to  be 
developed,  but  took  all  hearts  at  once  by  that  natural, 
witching  grace  so  much  a  part  of  herself.  It  was  a  very 
pleasant  picture  which  Mark  painted  upon  the  mental 
canvas;  but  there  came  a  great  blur  blotting  out  its  bright 
ness  as  he  remembered  Dr.  Grant. 

"  But  it  shall  not  interfere  with  my  being  just  as  kind 
to  her  as  before.  She  will  need  some  attendant  here,  and 
Wilford  will  be  glad  to  shove  her  off  his  hands.  He  is 
so  infernal  proud,"  Mark  said,  and  taking  a  fresh  cigar 
he  finished  his  reverie  with  the  magnanimous  resolve  that 
were  Helen  a  hundred  times  engaged  she  should  be  his 
especial  care  during  her  sojourn  in  New  York. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

HELEN  IN  SOCIETY. 

IT  was  three  days  before  Christmas,  and  Katy  was  talk 
ing  confidentially  to  Mrs.  Banker,  whom  she  had  asked  to 
see  the  next  time  she  called. 

"  I  want  so  much  to  surprise  her,"  she  said,  speaking  in 
a  whisper,  "  and  you  have  been  so  kind  to  us  both  that 
I  thought  it  might  not  trouble  you  very  much  if  I  asked 
you  to  make  the  selection  for  me,  and  see  to  the 


184  The  Cameron  Pride. 

ing.  Wilford  gave  me  fifty  dollars,  all  I  needed,  as  I  had 
fifty  more  of  my  own,  and  now  that  I  have  a  baby,  I  am 
sure  I  shall  never  again  care  to  go  out." 

"  Yes,"  Mrs.  Banker  said,  thoughtfully,  as  she  rolled  up 
the  bills,  "  you  wish  me  to  get  as  heavy  bracelets  as  I  can 
find — for  the  hundred  dollars." 

"Yes,"  Katy  replied,  "1  think  that  will  please  her, 
don't  you  ?  " 

Mrs.  Banker  did  not  reply  at  once,  for  she  felt  certain 
that  the  hundred  dollars  could  be  spent  in  a  manner  more 
satisfactory  to  Helen.  Still  she  hardly  liked  to  interfere, 
until  Katy,  observing  her  hesitancy,  asked  again  if  she  did 
not  think  Helen  would  be  pleased. 

"  Yes,  pleased  with  anything  you  choose  to  give  her, 
but — excuse  me,  dear  Mrs.  Cameron,  if  I  speak  as  openly 
as  if  I  were  the  mother  of  you  both.  Bracelets  are  suitable 
for  you  who  have  everything  else,  but  is  there  not  some 
thing  your  sister  needs  more?  Now,  allowing  me  to  sug 
gest,  I  should  say,  buy  her  some  furs,  and  let  the  bracelets 
go.  In  Silverton  her  furs  were  well  enough,  but  here,  as 
the  sister  of  Mrs.  Wilford  Cameron,  she  is  deserving  of 
better." 

Katy  understood  Mrs.  Banker  at  once,  her*  cheeks  red 
dening  as  there  flashed  upon  her  the  reason  why  Wilford 
had  never  yet  been  in  the  street  with  Helen,  notwithstand 
ing  that  she  had  more  than  once  requested  it. 

"  You  are  right,"  she  said.  "  It  was  thoughtless  in  me 
not  to  think  of  this  myself.  Helen  shall  have  the  furs, 
and  whatever  else  is  necessary.  I  am  so  glad  you  reminded 
me  of  it.  You  are  as  kind  as  my  own  mother,"  and  Katy 
kissed  her  friend  fondly  as  she  bade  her  good-bye,  charging 
her  a  dozen  times  not  to  let  Helen  know  the  surprise  in 
store  for  her. 

There  was  little  need  of  this  caution,  for  Mrs.  Banker 
understood  human  nature  too  well  to  divulge  a  matter 
which  might  wound  one  as  sensitive  as  Helen.  Between 
the  latter  and  herself  there  was  a  strong  bond  of  friend 
ship,  and  to  the  kind  patronage  of  this  lady  Helen  owed 
most  of  the  attentions  she  had  as  yet  received  from  her 
sister's  friends,  while  Mark  Ray  did  much  toward  lifting 
her  to  the  place  she  Leld  in  spite  of  the  common  country 


The  Cameron  Pride.  185 

dress,  which  Juno  unsparingly  criticised,  and  which,  in 
fact,  kept  Wilford  from  taking  her  out  as  his  wife  so 
often  asked  him  to  do.  And  Helen,  too,  keenly  felt  the 
difference  between  herself  and  those  with  whom  she  came 
in  contact,  crying  over  it  more  than  once,  but  never  dream 
ing  of  the  surprise  in  store  for  her,  when  on  Christmas 
morning  she  went  as  usual  to  Katy's  room,  finding  her 
alone,  her  face  all  aglow  with  excitement,  and  her  bed 
a  perfect  show-case  of  dry  goods,  which  she  bade  Helen  ex 
amine  and  say  how  she  liked  them. 

Wilford  was  no  niggard  with  his  money,  and  when  Katy 
had  asked  for  more  it  had  been  given  unsparingly,  even 
though  he  knew  the  purpose  to  which  it  was  to  be  ap 
plied. 

"Oh,  Katy,  Katy,  why  did  you  do  it?"  Helen  cried, 
her  tears  falling  like  rain  through  the  fingers  she  clasped 
over  her  eyes. 

"  You  are  not  angry  ?  "  Katy  said,  in  some  dismay,  as 
Helen  continued  to  sob  without  looking  at  the  handsome 
furs,  the  stylish  hat,  the  pretty  cloak,  and  rich  patterns 
of  blue  and  black  silk,  which  Mrs.  Banker  had  selected. 

"  No,  oh  no !  "'  Helen  replied.  "  I  know  it  was  all 
meant  well;  but  there  is  something  in  me  which  rebels 
against  taking  this  from  Wilford,  and  placing  myself  un 
der  so  great  obligation  to  him." 

"  It  was  a  pleasure  for  him  to  do  it/'  Katy  said,  trying 
to  reassure  her  sister,  until  she  grew  calm  enough  to  ex 
amine  and  admire  the  Christmas  gifts  upon  which  no  ex 
pense  had  been  spared.  Much  as  we  may  ignore  drees, 
and  sinful  as  is  an  inordinate  love  for  it,  there  is  yet 
about  it  an  influence  for  good,  when  the  heart  of  the 
wearer  is  right,  holding  it  subservient  to  all  higher,  holier 
affections.  At  least  Helen  Lennox  found  it  so,  when  clad 
in  her  new  garments,  she  drove  with  Mrs.  Banker,  or 
returned  Sybil  Grandon's  call,  feeling  that  there  was  about 
her  nothing  for  which  Katy  need  to  blush,  or  even  Wil 
ford,  who  was  not  afraid  to  be  seen  with  her  now,  and 
Helen,  while  knowing  the  reason  of  the  change,  did  not 
feel  like  quarreling  with  him  for  it,  but  accepted  with  a 
good-natured  grace  all  that  made  her  life  in  New  York 
so  happy.  With  Bell  Cameron  she  was  on  the  best  of 


1 86  The  Cameron  Pride. 

terms;  while  Sybil  Grandon,  always  going  with  the  tide, 
professed  for  her  an  admiration,  which,  whether  fancied 
or  real,  did  much  toward  making  her  popular;  and  when, 
as  the  mistress  of  her  brother's  house,  she  issued  cards 
of  invitation  for  a  large  party,  she  took  especial  pains  to 
insist  upon  Helen's  attending,  even  if  Katy  was  not  able* 
But  from  this  Helen  shrank.  She  could  not  meet  so  many 
strangers  alone,  she  said,  and  so  the  matter  was  dropped, 
until  Mrs.  Banker  offered  to  chaperone  her,  when  Helen 
began  to  waver,  changing  her  mind  at  last  and  promising 
to  go. 

Never  since  the  days  of  her  first  party  had  Katy  been 
so  wild  with  excitement  as  she  was  in  helping  to  dress 
Helen,  who  scarcely  knew  herself  when,  before  the  mirror, 
with  the  blaze  of  the  chandelier  falling  upon  her,  she  saw 
the  picture  of  a  young  girl  arrayed  in  rich  pink  silk,  with 
an  overskirt  of  lace,  and  the  light  pretty  cloak,  just  thrown 
upon  her  uncovered  neck,  where  Katy's  pearls  were  shin 
ing. 

"  What  would  they  say  at  home  if  they  could  only  see 
you  ?  "  Katy  exclaimed,  throwing  back  the  handsome  cloak 
so  as  to  show  more  of  the  well-shaped  neck,  gleaming  so 
white  beneath  it. 

"  Aunt  Betsy  would  say  I  had  forgotten  haft  my  dress/* 
Helen  replied,  blushing  as  she  glanced  at  the  arms,  which 
never  since  her  childhood  had  been  thus  exposed  to  view, 
except  at  such  times  as  her  household  duties  had  required 
it. 

Even  this  exception  would  not  apply  to  the  low  neck, 
at  which  Helen  had  long  demurred,  yielding  finally  to 
Katy's  entreaties,  but  often  wondering  what  Mark  Ray 
would  think,  and  if  he  would  not  be  shocked  Mark  Bay 
had  been  strangely  blended  with  all  Helen's  thoughts  as  she 
submitted  herself  to  Esther's  practiced  hands,  and  when 
the  hair-dresser,  summoned  to  her  aid,  asked  what  flowers 
she  would  wear,  it  was  a  thought  of  him  which  led  her 
to  select  a  single  water-lily,  which  looked  as  natural  as 
if  its  bed  had  really  been  the  bosom  of  Fairy  Pond. 

"  Nothing  else  ?  Surely  mademoiselle  will  have  these 
few  green  leaves?"  -Celine  had  said,  but  Helen  would 
have  nothing  save  the  lily,  which  was  twined  tastefully 


The  Cameron  Pride.  187 

amid  the  heavy  braids  of  the  brown  hair,  whose  length 
and  luxuriance  had  thrown  the  hair-dresser  into  ecstasies 
of  delight,  and  made  Esther  lament  that  in  these  days  of 
false  tresses  no  one  would  give  Miss  Lennox  credit  for  what 
was  wholly  her  own. 

"  You  will  be  the  belle  of  the  evening/'  Katy  said  r.3 
she  kissed  her  sister  good  night  and  then  ran  back  to  her 
baby,  while  Wilford,  yielding  to  her  importunities  that 
he  should  not  remain  with  her,  followed  Mrs.  Banker's 
carriage  in  his  own  private  conveyance,  and  was  soon  set 
down  at  Sybil  Grandon's  door. 

Meanwhile,  at  the  elder  Cameron's  there  had  been  a 
discussion  touching  the  propriety  of  their  taking  Helen 
under  their  protection,  instead  of  leaving  her  for  Mrs. 
Banker  to  chaperone,  Bell  insisting  that  it  ought  to  be  done, 
while  the  father  swore  roundly  at  Juno,  who  would  not 
"  be  bothered  with  that  country  girl." 

"  You  would  rather  leave  her  wholly  to  Mark  Ray  and 
his  mother,  I  suppose,"  Bell  said,  adding,  as  she  saw  the 
flush  on  Juno's  face,  "  You  know  you  are  dying  of  jealousy, 
and  nothing  annoys  you  so  much  as  to  hear  people  talk 
of  Mark's  attentions  to  Miss  Lennox/' 

"  Do  they  talk  ?  "  Mrs.  Cameron  asked  quickly,  while  in 
her  gray  eyes  there  gleamed  a  light  far  more  dangerous 
and  threatening  to  Helen  than  Juno's  open  scorn. 

Mrs.  Cameron  had  long  intended  Mark  Eay  for  her 
daughter,  and  accustomed  to  have  everything  b°nd  to  her 
wishes,  she  had  come  to  consider  the  matter  as  certain, 
even  though  he  had  never  proposed  in  words.  He  had 
done  everything  else,  she  thought,  attending  Juno  con 
stantly,  and  frequenting  their  house  so  much  that  it  was  a 
standing  joke  for  his  friends  to  seek  him  there  when  he 
was  not  at  home  or  at  his  office.  Latterly,  however,  there 
had  been  a  change,  and  the  ambitious  mother  could  not 
deny  that  since  Helen's  arrival  in  New  York  Mark  had 
visted  them  less  frequently  and  sta}^ed  a  shorter  time,  while 
she  had  more  than  once  heard  of  him  at  her  son's  in  com 
pany  with  Helen.  Very  rapidly  a  train  of  thought  passed 
through  her  mind;  but  it  did  not  manifest  itself  upon 
her  face,  which  was  composed  and  quiet  as  she  decided 
with  Juno  that  Helen  should  not  trouble  them.  With 


1 88  The  Cameron  Pride. 

the  utmost  care  Juno  arrayed  herself  for  the  party,  think 
ing  with  a  great  deal  of  complacency  how  impossible  it  was 
for  Helen  Lennox  to  compete  with  her  in  point  of  dress. 

"  She  is  such  a  prude,  I  dare  say  she  will  go  in  that 
blue  silk,  with  the  long  sleeves  and  high  neck,  looking 
like  a  Dutch  doll,"  she  said  to  Bell,  as  she  shook  back 
the  folds  of  her  rich  crimson,  and  turned  her  head  to  see 
the  effect  of  her  wide  braids  of  hair. 

"  I  am  not  certain  that  a  high  dress  is  worse  than 
bones,"  Bell  retorted,  playfully  touching  Juno's  neck, 
which,  though  white  and  gracefully  formed,  was  shock 
ingly  guiltless  of  flesh. 

There  was  an  angry  reply,  and  then,  wrapping  her 
cloak  about  her,  Juno  went  out  to  their  carriage,  and  was 
ere  long  one  of  the  gay  crowd  thronging  Sybil  Grandon's 
parlors.  Helen  had  not  yet  arrived,  and  Juno  was  hop 
ing  she  would  not  come,  when  there  was  a  stir  at  the 
door  and  Mrs.  Banker  appeared,  and  with  her  Helen 
Lennox,  but  so  transformed  that  Juno  hardly  knew  her, 
looking  twice  ere  sure  that  the  beautiful  young  lady,  so 
wholly  self-possessed,  was  the  country  girl  she  affected 
to  despise. 

"  Who  is  she  ? "  was  asked  by  many,  who4  at  once  ac 
knowledged  her  claims  to  their  attention,  and  as  soon  as 
practicable  sought  her  acquaintance,  so  that  Helen  sud 
denly  for::d  herself  the  centre  of  a  little  court  of  which 
she  was  the  queen  and  Mark  her  sworn  knight. 

Presuming  upon  his  mother's  chaperonage,  he  claimed 
the  right  of  attending  her,  and  Juno's  glory  waned  as 
effectually  as  it  had  done  when  Katy  was  the  leading  star 
to  which  New  York  paid  homage. 

Juno  had  been  annoyed  then,  but  now  fierce  jealousy 
took  possession  of  her  heart  as  she  watched  the  girl 
whom  all  seemed  to  admire,  even  Wilford  feeling  a  thrill 
of  pride  that  the  possession  of  so  attractive  a  sister-in- 
law  reflected  credit  upon  himself. 

He  was  not  ashamed  of  her  now,  nor  did  he  retain  a 
single  thought  of  the  farm-house  or  Uncle  Ephraim  as 
he  made  his  way  to  her  side,  standing  protectingly  at  her 
left,  just  as  Mark  was  standing  at  her  right,  and  at  last 
asking  her  to  dance. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  189 

With  a  heightened  color  Helen  declined,  saying  frankly, 

"  I  have  never  learned/' 

"  You  miss  a  ^reat  deal/'  Wilford  rejoined,  appealing 
to  Mark  for  a  confirmation  of  his  words. 

But  Mark  did  not  heartily  respond.  He,  too,  had 
solicited  Helen  as  a  partner  when  the  dancing  first  com 
menced,  and  her  quiet  refusal  had  disappointed  him  a 
little,  for  Mark  was  fond  of  dancing,  and  though  as  a 
general  thing  he  disapproved  of  waltzes  and  polkas  when 
ho  was  the  looker-on,  he  felt  that  there  would  be  some 
thing  vastly  agreeable  and  exhilarating  in  clasping  Helen 
in  his  arms  and  whirling  her  about  the  room  just  as  Juno 
was  being  whirled  by  a  young  cadet,  a  friend  of  Lieuten 
ant  Bob's.  But  when  he  reflected  that  not  his  arm  alone 
would  encircle  her  waist,  or  his  breath  touch  her  neck,  he 
was  glad  she  did  not  dance,  and  professing  a  weariness 
he  did  not  feel,  he  declined  to  join  the  dancers  on  the 
floor,  but  kept  with  Helen,  enjoying  what  she  enjoyed, 
and  putting  her  so  perfectly  at  her  ease  that  no  one  would 
ever  have  dreamed  of  the  curdy  cheeses  she  had  made, 
or  the  pounds  of  butter  she  had  churned.  But  Mark 
thought  of  it  as  ho  secretly  admired  the  neck  and  arms, 
seen  once  before,  on  that  memorable  day  when  he  assisted 
Helen  in  the  labors  of  the  dairy.  If  nothing  else  had 
done  so,  the  lily  in  her  hair  would  have  brought  that 
morning  to  his  mind,  and  once  as  they  walked  up  and 
down  the  hall  he  spoke  of  the  ornament  she  had  chosen, 
and  how  well  it  became  her. 

"  Pond  lilies  are  my  pets/'  he  said,  "  and  I  have  kept 
one  of  those  I  gathered  when  at  Silverton.  Do  you  re 
member  them  ?  "  and  his  eyes  rested  upon  Helen  with  a 
look  which  made  her  blush  as  she  answered  yes;  but  she 
did  not  tell  him  of  a  little  box  at  home,  made  of  cones 
and  acorns,  where  was  hidden  a  withered  water  lily, 
which  she  could  not  throw  away,  even  after  its  beauty 
and  fragrance  had  departed. 

Had  she  told  him  this,  it  might  have  put  to  flight  the 
doubts  troubling  Mark  so  much,  and  making  him  won 
der  if  Dr.  Grant  had  really  a  claim  upon  the  girl  steal 
ing  his  heart  so  fast. 

"  I  mean  to  sound  her,"  he  thought,  and  as  Lieutenant 


190  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Bob  passed  by,  making  some  jocose  remark  about  his 
offending  all  the  fair  ones  by  the  course  he  was  taking, 
Mark  said  to  Helen,  who  suggested  returning  to  the  parlor, 

"  As  you  like,  though  it  cannot  matter ;  a  person  known 
to  be  ongaged  is  above  Bob  Eeynolds's  jokes." 

Quiet  as  thought  the  blood  stained  Helen's  face  and 
neck,  for  Mark  had  made  a  most  egregious  blunder  giv 
ing  her  the  impression  that  he  was  the  engaged  one  referred 
to,  not  herself,  and  for  a  moment  she  forgot  the  gay 
scene  around  her  in  the  sharpness  of  the  pang  with  which 
she  recognized  all  that  Mark  Eay  was  to  her. 

ee  It  was  kind  in  him  to  warn  me.  I  wish  it  had  been 
sooner,"  she  thought,  and  then  with  a  bitter  feeling  of 
shame  she  wondered  how  much  he  had  guessed  of  her 
real  feelings,  and  who  the  betrothed  one  was.  "  Not 
Juno  Cameron,"  she  hoped,  as  after  a  few  moments  Mrs. 
Cameron  came  up  and,  adroitly  detaching  Mark  from 
her  side,  took  his  place  while  he  sauntered  to  a 
group  of  ladies  and  was  ere  long  dancing  merrily  with 
Juno. 

"  They  are  a  well-matched  pair/'  Mrs.  Cameron  said, 
assuming  a  very  confidential  manner  towards  Helen,  who 
assented  to  the  remark,  while  the  lady  continued,  "  There 
is  but  one  thing  wrong  about  Mark  Eay.  He  is  a  most 
unscrupulous  flirt,  pleased  with  every  new  face,  and  this 
of  course  annoys  Juno/' 

"Are  they  engaged?"  came  involuntarily  from  Hrlen's 
lips,  while  Mrs.  Cameron's  foot  beat  the  carpet  with  a 
very  becoming  hesitancy,  as  she  replied,  "  That  was  set 
tled  in  our  family  a  long  time  ago.  Wilford  and  Mark 
have  always  been  like  brothers." 

Mrs.  Cameron  could  not  quite  bring  herself  to  a  delib 
erate  falsehood,  which,  if  detected,  would  reflect  upon 
her  character  as  a  lady,  but  she  could  mislead  Helen, 
and  she  continued,  "  It  is  not  like  us  to  bruit  our  affairs 
abroad,  and  were  my  daughters  ten  times  engaged  the 
world  would  be  none  the  wiser.  I  doubt  if  even  Katy 
suspects  what  I  have  admitted;  but  knowing  how  fas 
cinating  Mark  can  be,  and  that  just  at  present  he  seems 
to  be  pleased  with  you,  I  have  acted  as  I  should  wish  a 
friend  to  act  toward  my  own  child.  I  have  warned  you 


The  Cameron  Pride.  191 

in  time.  Were  it  not  that  you  are  one  of  our  family,  I 
might  not  have  interfered,  and  I  trust  you  not  to  repeat 
even  to  Katy  what  I  have  said." 

Helen  nodded  assent,  while  in  her  heart  was  a  wild 
tumult  of  feelings — nattered  pride,  disappointment,  in 
dignation,  and  mortification  all  struggling  for  the  mas 
tery — mortification  to  feel  that  she  who  had  quietly  ignored 
such  a  passion  as  love  when  connected  with  herself,  had, 
nevertheless,  been  pleased  with  the  attentions  of  one  who 
was  only  amusing  himself  with  her,  as  a  child  amuses 
itself  with  some  new  toy  soon  to  be  thrown  aside — 
indignation  at  him  for  vexing  Juno  at  her  expense — 
disappointment  that  he  should  care  for  such  as  Juno,  and 
flattered  pride  that  Mrs.  Cameron  should  include  her  in 
fi  our  family."  Helen  had  as  few  weak  points  as  most 
young  ladies,  but  she  was  not  free  from  them  all,  and  the 
fact  that  Mrs.  Cameron  had  taken  her  into  a  confidence 
which  even  Katy  did  not  share,  was  soothing  to  her  ruffled 
spirits,  particularly  as  after  that  confidence,  Mrs.  Cameron 
was  excessively  gracious  to  her,  introducing  her  to  many 
whom  she  did  not  know  before,  and  paying  her  numberless 
little  attentions,  which  made  Juno  stare,  while  the  clear- 
seeing  Bell  arched  her  eye-brows,  and  wondered  for  what 
Helen  was  to  be  made  a  cat's  paw  by  her  clever  mother. 
Whatever  it  was  it  did  not  appear,  save  as  it  showed  itself 
in  Helen's  slightly  changed  demeanor  when  Mark  again 
sought  her  society,  and  tried  to  bring  back  to  her  face  the 
look  he  had  left  there.  But  something  had  come  between 
them,  and  the  young  man  racked  his  brain  to  find  the 
cause  of  this  sudden  indifference  in  one  who  had  been 
pleased  with  him  only  a  short  half  hour  before. 

"  It's  that  confounded  waltzing  which  disgusted  her," 
he  said,  "  and  no  wonder,  for  if  ever  a  man  looks  like  an 
idiot,  it  is  when  he  is  kicking  up  his  heels  to  the  sound 
•f  a  fiddle,  and  whirling  some  woman  whose  skirts  sweep 
everything  within  the  circle  of  a  rod,  and  whose  face 
wears  that  die-away  expression  I  have  so  often  noticed. 
I've  half  a  mind  to  swear  I'll  never  dance  again." 

But  Mark  was  too  fond  of  dancing  to  quit  it  at  once, 
and  finding  Helen  still  indifferent,  he  yielded  to  circum 
stance*,  and  the  last  she  saw  of  him,  as  at  a  comparative 


192  The  Cameron  Pride. 

early  hour  she  left  the  gay  scene,  he  was  dancing  again 
with  Juno.  It  was  a  heavy  blow  to  Helen,  for  she  had 
become  greatly  interested  in  Mark  Ray,  whose  atten 
tions  had  made  her  stay  in  New  York  so  pleasant.  But 
these  were  over  now ; — at  least  the  excitement  they  brought 
was  over,  and  Helen,  as  she  sat  in  her  dittesing-room  at 
home,  and  thought  of  the  future  as  well  as  the 'past,  felt 
stealing  over  her  a  sense  of  desolation  and  loneliness  such 
as  she  had  experienced  but  once  before,  and  that  on  the 
night  when  leaning  from  her  window  at  the  farm-house 
where  Mark  Kay  was  stopping  she  had  shuddered  and 
shrank  from  living  all  her  days  among  the  rugged  hills 
of  Silverton.  New  York  had  opened  an  entirely  new 
world  to  her,  showing  her  much  that  was  vain  and 
frivolous,  with  much  too  that  was  desirable  and  good ;  and 
if  there  had  crept  into  her  heart  the  thought  that  a  life 
with  such  people  as  Mrs.  Banker  and  those  who  frequented 
her  house  would  be  preferable  to  a  life  in  Silverton,  where 
only  Morris  understood  her,  it  was  but  the  natural  result 
of  daily  intercourse  with  one  who  had  studied  to  please 
and  interest  as  Mark  Ray  had  done.  But  Helen  had  too 
much  good  sense  and  strength  of  will,  long  to  indulge  in 
what  she  would  have  called  "  love-sick  regrets  "  in  others, 
and  she  began  to  devise  the  best  course  for  her  to  adopt 
hereafter,  concluding  finally  to  treat  him  much  as  she 
had  done,  lest  he  should  suspect  how  deeply  she  had  been 
wounded.  Now  that  she  knew  of  his  engagement,  it  would 
be  an  easy  matter  so  to  demean  herself  as  neither  to  annoy 
Juno  nor  vex  him.  Thoroughly  now  she  understood  why 
Juno  Cameron  had  seemed  to  dislike  her  so  much. 

"  It  is  natural,"  she  said,  "  and  yet  I  honestly  believe 
I  like  her  better  for  knowing  what  I  do.  There  must  be 
some  good  beneath  that  proud  exterior,  or  Mark  would 
never  seek  her." 

Still,  look  at  it  from  any  point  she  chose,  it  seemed  a 
strange,  unsuitable  match,  and  Helen's  heart  ached  sadly 
as  she  finally  retired  to  rest,  thinking  what  might  have 
been  had  Juno  Cameron  found  some  other  lover  more 
l&e  herself  than  Mark  could  ever  be. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  193 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


WILFORD  had  wished  for  a  son,,  and  in  the  first  moment 
of  disappointment  he  had  almost  been  conscious  of  a 
resentful  feeling  toward  Katy,  who  had  given  him  only 
a  daughter.  A  boy,  a  Cameron  heir,  was  something  of 
which  to  be  proud;  but  a  little  girl,  scarcely  larger  than 
the  last  doll  with  which  Katy  had  played,  was  a  different 
thing,  and  it  required  all  Wilford's  philosophy  and  common 
sense  to  keep  him  from  showing  his  chagrin  to  the  girlish 
creature,  whose  love  had  fastened  with  an  idolatrous  grasp 
upon  her  child,  clinging  to  it  with  a  devotion  which  made 
Helen  tremble  as  she  thought  what  if  God  should  take  it 
from  her. 

"  He  won't,  oh,  he  won't,"  Katy  said,  when  once  she 
suggested  the  possibility,  and  in  the  eyes  usually  so 
soft  and  gentle  there  was  a  fierce  gleam,  as  Katy  hugged 
her  baby  closer  to  her  and  said, 

"  God  does  not  willfully  torment  us.  He  will  not  take 
my  baby,  when  my  whole  life  would  die  with  it.  I  had 
almost  forgotten  to  pray,  there  was  so  much  else  to  do, 
till  baby  came,  but  now  I  never  go  to  sleep  at  night  or 
waken  in  the  morning,  that  there  does  not  come  a  prayer 
of  thanks  for  baby  given  to  me.  I  could  hardly  love 
God  if  he  took  her  away." 

There  was  a  chill  feeling  at  Helen's  heart  as  she  list 
ened  to  her  sister  and  then  glanced  at  the  baby  so 
passionately  loved.  In  time  it  would  be  pretty,  for  it  had 
Katy's  perfect  features,  and  the  hair  just  beginning  to 
grow  was  a  soft,  golden  brown;  but  it  was  too  small  now, 
too  puny  to  be  handsome,  while  in  its  eyes  there  was  a 
scaled,  hunted  kind  of  look,  which  chafed  Wilford  more 
than  aught  else  could  have  done,  for  that  was  the  look 
which  had  crept  into  Katy's  eyes  at  Newport  when  she 
found  she  was  not  going  home. 

Many  discussions  had  been  held  at  the  elder  Cameron's 
concerning  its  name,  Mrs.  Cameron  deciding  finally  that 


194  The  Cameron  Pride. 

it  should  bear  her  own,  Margaret  Augusta,  while  Juno  ad 
vocated  that  of  Rose  Marie,  inasmuch  as  their  new  cler 
gyman  would  Frenchify  the  pronunciation  so  perfectly, 
rolling  the  r,  and  placing  so  much  accent  on  the  last  syl 
lable.  At  this  the  father  Cameron  swore  as  (C  cussed  non 
sense"  "Better  call  it  Jemima,  a  grand  sight,  than 
saddle  it  with  such  a  silly  name  as  Rose  Mah-ree,  with  a 
roll  to  the  r,"  and  with  another  oath  the  disgusted  old  man 
departed,  while  Bell  suggested  that  Katy  might  wish  to 
have  a  voice  in  naming  her  own  child. 

This  was  a  possibility  that  had  formed  no  part  of  Mrs. 
Cameron's  thoughts,  or  Juno's.  Of  course  Katy  would 
acquiesce  in  whatever  Wilford  said  was  best,  and  he 
always  thought  as  they  did.  Consequently  there  would 
be  no  trouble  whatever.  It  was  time  the  child  had  a 
name, — time  it  wore  the  elegant  christening  robe,  Mrs. 
Cameron's  gift,  which  cost  more  money  than  would  have 
fed  a  hungry  family  for  weeks.  The  matter  must  be 
decided,  and  with  a  view  of  deciding  it,  a  family  dinner 
party  was  held  at  JSTo. — ,  Fifth  Avenue,  the  day  suc 
ceeding  Sybil  Grandon's  party. 

Very  pure  and  beautiful  Katy  looked  as  she  took  her 
old  place  in  the  chair  they  called  hers  at  father  Cameron's, 
because  it  was  the  one  she  had  always  preferred  to  any 
other, — a  large,  motherly  easy-chair,  which  took  in  nearly 
the  whole  of  her  petite  figure,  and  against  whose  soft 
cushioned  back  she  leaned  her  curly  head  with  a  pretty 
air  of  importance,  as,  after  dinner  was  over,  she  came  back 
to  the  parlor  with  the  other  ladies,  and  waited  for  the 
gentlemen  to  join  them,  when  they  were  to  talk  up  baby's 
name. 

Katy  knew  exactly  what  it  would  be  called,  but  as  Wil 
ford  had  never  askeid  her,  she  was  keeping  it  a  secret,  not 
doubting  that  the  others  would  be  quite  as  much  de 
lighted  as  herself  with  the  novel  name.  Not  long  before 
her  illness  she  had  read  an  English  story,  which  had  in 
it  a  Genevra,  and  she  had  at  once  seized  upon  it  as  the 
most  delightful  cognomen  a  person  could  well  possess. 
"Genevra  Cameron!"  She  had  repeated  it  to  herself 
many  a  time  as  she  sat  with  her  baby  in  her  lap.  She 
had  written  it  on  sundry  slips  of  paper,  which  had  after- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  195 

wards  found  their  way  into  the  grate;  and  once  she  had 
scratched  with  her  diamond  ring  upon  the  window  pane 
in  her  dressing-room,  where  it  now  stood  in  legible  char 
acters,  "  Genevra  Cameron!"  There  should  be  no  middle 
name  to  take  from  the  sweetness  of  the  first — only  Genevra 
— that  was  sufficient;  and  the  little  lady  tapped  her  foot 
impatiently  upon  the  carpet,  wishing  Wilford  and  his 
father  would  hurry  and  come  in. 

Never  for  an  instant  had  it  entered  her  mind  that  she, 
as  the  mother,  would  not  be  permitted  to  call  her  baby 
what  she  chose;  so  when  she  heard  Mrs.  Cameron  speak 
ing  to  Helen  of  Margaret  Augusta,  she  smiled  compla 
cently,  tossing  her  curls  of  golden  brown,  and  thinking 
to  herself,  "  Maggie  Cameron — pretty  enough,  but  not 
like  Genevra.  Indeed,  I  shall  not  have  any  Margarets 
now;  next  time  perhaps  I  may." 

The  gentlemen  came  at  last,  and  father  Cameron  drew 
his  chair  close  to  Katy's  side,  laying  his  hand  on  her 
little  soft  warm  one,  and  giving  it  a  squeeze  as  the  bright 
face  glanced  lovingly  into  his.  Father  Cameron  had 
grown  a  milder,  gentler  man  since  Katy  came.  He  now 
went  much  oftener  into  society,  and  did  not  so  frequently 
shock  his  wife  with  expressions  and  opinions  which  she 
held  as  heterodox.  Katy  had  a  softening  influence  over 
him,  and  he  loved  her  as  well  perhaps  as  he  had  ever 
loved  his  own  children. 

"  Better,"  Juno  said ;  and  now  she  touched  Bell's  arm, 
to  have  her  see  "  how  father  was  petting  Katy." 

But  Bell  did  not  care,  while  Wilford  was  pleased,  and 
himself  drew  nearer  the  chair,  standing  just  behind  it, 
so  that  Katy  could  not  see  him  as  he  smoothed  her  curly 
head,  and  said,  half  indifferently,  "  Now  for  the  all-im 
portant  name.  What  shall  we  call  our  daughter  ?  " 

"Let  your  mother  speak  first,"  Katy  said,  and  thus 
appealed  to,  Mrs.  Cameron  came  up  to  Wilford  and  ex 
pressed  her  preference  for  Margaret,  as  being  a  good 
name,  an  aristocratic  name,  and  her  own. 

"  Yes,  but  not  half  so  pretty  and  striking  as  Eose 
Marie,"  Juno  chimed  in. 

"  Rose  Mary !  Thunder !  "  father  Cameron  exclaimed. 
'*  Call  her  a  marygold,  or  a  sunflower,  just  as  much.  Don't 


196  The  Cameron  Pride. 

go  to  being  fools  by  giving  a  child  a  heathenish  name. 
Give  us  your  opinion,  Katy." 

"  I  have  known  from  the  first,"  Katy  replied,  "  and 
I  am  sure  you  will  agree  with  me.  ?Tis  a  beautiful 
name  of  a  sweet  young  girl,  and  there  was  a  great  secret 
about  her,  too — GENEVRA,  baby  will  be  called,"  and  Katy 
looked  straight  into  the  fire,  wholly  unconscious  of  the 
effect  that  name  had  produced  upon  Wilford  and  his 
mother. 

Wilford's  face  was  white  as  marble,  and  his  eyes  turned 
quickly  to  his  mother,  who,  in  her  first  shock,  started  so 
violently  ap.  to  throw  down  from  the  stand  a  costly  vase, 
which  was '"broken  in  many  pieces.  This  occasioned  a 
little  diversion,  and  by  the  time  the  flowers  and  frag 
ments  were  gathered  up,  Wilford's  lips  were  not  quite  so 
livid,  but  he  dared  not  trust  his  voice  yet,  and  listened 
while  his  sisters  gave  their  opinion  of  the  name,  Bell  de 
ciding  for  it  at  once,  and  Juno  hesitating  until  she  had 
heard  from  a  higher  power  than  Katy. 

"  What  put  that  fanciful  name  into  your  head  ?  "  Mrs. 
Cameron  asked. 

Katy  explained,  and  with  the  removal  of  the  fear, 
which  for  a  few  moments  had  chilled  his  blood,  Wilford 
grew  calm  again;  while  into  his  heart  there  crept  the 
thought  that  by  giving  that  name  to  his  child,  some 
slight  atonement  might  be  made  to  her  above  whoso 
head  the  English  daisies  had  blossomed  and  faded  many 
a  year.  But  not  so  with  his  mother; — the  child  should 
not  be  called  Genevra  if  she  could  prevent  it;  and  she 
opposed  it  with  all  her  powers,  offering  at  last,  as  a  great 
concession  on  her  part,  to  let  it  bear  the  name  of  either 
of  Katy*s  family — Hannah  and  Betsy  excepted,  of  course 
Lucy  Lennox,  Helen  Lennox,  Katy  Lennox,  anything 
but  Genevra.  As  usual,  Wilford,  when  he  learned  her 
mind,  joined  with  her,  notwithstanding  his  secret  pref 
erence,  and  the  discussion  became  quite  warm,  especially 
as  Katy  evinced  a  willfulness  for  which  Helen  had  never 
given  her  credit  Hitherto  she  had  been  as  yielding  as 
wax,  but  on  this  point  she  was  firm,  gathering  strength 
from  the  fact  that  Wilford  did  not  oppose  her  as  he 
usually  did.  She  could  not,  perhaps,  have  resisted  him, 


The  Cameron  Pride.  197 

but  his  manner  was  not  very  decided,  and  so  she  quietly 
persisted,  "  Genevra  or  nothing,"  until  the  others  gave  up 
the  contest,  hoping  she  would  feel  differently  after  a  few 
days'  reflection.  But  Katy  knew  she  shouldn't,  and  Helen 
could  not  overcome  the  exultation  with  which  she  saw  her 
little  sister  put  the  Camerons  to  rout  and  remain  master 
of  the  field. 

"After  all  it  does  not  matter,"  Mrs.  Cameron  said  to 
her  daughters,  when,  after  Mrs.  Wilford  was  gone,  she 
sat  talking  of  Katy's  queer  fancy  and  her  obstinacy  in 
adhering  to  it.  "  It  does  not  matter,  and  on  the  whole  I 
had  as  soon  the  christening  would  he  postponed  until 
the  child  is  more  presentable  than  now.  It  will  be  pret 
tier  by  and  by,  and  the  dress  will  become  it  better.  We 
can  afford  to  wait." 

This  heartless  view  of  the  case  was  readily  adopted 
by  Juno,  while  Bell  professed  to  be  terribly  shocked  at 
hearing  them  talk  thus  of  a  baptism,  as  if  it  were  a 
mere  show  and  nothing  more,  wondering  if  the  Saviour 
thought  of  dress  or  personal  appearance  when  the  Hebrew 
mothers  brought  their  children  to  him.  But  little  did 
Mrs.  Cameron  or  Juno  care  for  the  baptism  except 
as  a  display,  and  as  both  would  be  much  prouder  of  a 
fine-looking  child,  they  were  well  content  to  wait  until 
such  time  as  Katy  should  incline  more  favorably  to  their 
Margaret  or  Rose  Marie.  To  Helen  is  seemed  highly 
probable  that  after  a  private  interview  with  Wilford  Katy 
would  change  her  mind,  and  she  felt  a  wickedly  agreeable 
degree  of  disappointment  when,  on  the  day  following 
the  dinner  party,  she  found  her  sister  even  more  resolved 
than  ever  upon  having  her  own  way.  Like  the  Camerons, 
she  did  not  feel  the  necessity  of  haste, — time  enough 
by  and  by,  when  she  would  not  have  so  much  opposition 
to  encounter,  she.  said;  and  as  Wilford  did  not  care,  it 
was  finally  arranged  that  they  would  wait  awhile  ere 
they  gave  a  cognomen  to  the  little  nameless  child,  only 
known  as  Baby  Cameron. 


198  The  Cameron  Pride. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

TROUBLE  IN  THE  HOUSEHOLD. 

As  soon  as  it  was  understood  that  Mrs.  Wilford  Cameron 
was  able  to  go  out,  there  were  scores  of  pressing  invitations 
from  the  gay  world  which  had  missed  her  so  much,  but 
Katy  declined  them  all  on  the  plea  that  baby  needed  her 
care.  She  was  happier  at  home,  and  as  a  mother  it  was 
her  place  to  stay  there.  At  first  Wilford  listened  quietly, 
but  when  he  found  it  was  her  fixed  determination  to 
abjure  society  entirely,  he  interfered  in  his  cool,  decisive 
way,  which  always  carried  its  point. 

"  It  was  foolish  to  take  that  stand,"  he  said.  "  Other 
mothers  went  and  why  should  not  she?  She  had  already 
stayed  in  too  much.  She  was  injuring  herself,  and  " — what 
was  infinitely  worse  to  Wilford — "  she  was  losing  her 
good  looks." 

As  proof  of  this  he  led  her  to  the  glass,  showing  her 
the  pale,  thin  face  and  unnaturally  large  eyes,  so  distaste 
ful  to  him.  Wilford  Cameron  was  very  proud  of  his 
handsome  house, — proud  to  know  that  everything  there 
was  in  keeping  with  his  position  and  wealth,  but  when 
Katy  was  immured  in  the  nursery,  the  bright  picture  was 
obscured,  for  it  needed  her  presence  to  make  it  perfect, 
and  he  began  to  grow  dissatisfied  with  his  surroundings, 
while  abroad  he  missed  her  quite  as  much,  finding  the 
opera,  the  party  or  the  reception,  insipid  where  she  was 
not,  and  feeling  fully  conscious  that  Wilford  Cameron, 
without  a  wife,  and  that  wife  Katy,  was  not  a  man  of  half 
the  consequence  he  had  thought  himself  to  be.  Even 
Sybil  Grandon  did  not  think  it  worth  her  while  to  court 
his  attention,  if  Katy  were  not  present,  for  unless  some 
one  saw  and  felt  her  triumph  it  ceased  directly  to  be  one. 
On  the  whole  Wilford  was  not  well  pleased  with  society  as 
he  found  it  this  winter,  and  knowing  where  the  trouble 
lay,  he  resolved  that  Katy  should  no  longer  remain  at 
home,  growing  pale  and  faded  and  losing  her  good  looks. 
Wilford  would  not  have  confessed  it,  and  perhaps  was 


The  Cameron  Pride.  199 

not  himself  aware  of  the  fact,  that  Katy's  beauty  was 
quite  as  dear  to  him  as  Katy  herself.  If  she  lost  it  her 
value  was  decreased  accordingly.,  and  so,  as  a  prudent  hus 
band,  it  behooved  him  to  see  that  what  was  so  very  precious 
was  not  unnecessarily  thrown  away.  It  did  not  take  long 
for  Katy  to  understand  that  her  days  of  quiet  were  at 
an  end, — that  neither  crib  nor  cradle  could  avail  her  longer. 
Mrs.  Kirby,  selected  from  a  host  of  applicant's,  was  wholly 
competent  for  Baby  Cameron,  and  Katy  must  throw  aside 
the  mother,  which  sat  so  prettily  upon  her,  and  become 
again  the  belle.  It  was  a  sad  trial,  but  Katy  knew  that 
submission  was  the  only  alternative,  and  so  when  Mrs. 
Banker's  invitation  came,  she  accepted  it  at  once,  but 
there  was  a  sad  look  upon  her  face  as  she  kissed  her  baby 
for  the  twentieth  time  ere  going  to  her  dressing  maid. 

Never  until  this  night  had  Helen  realized  how  beau 
tiful  Katy  was  when  in  full  evening  dress,  and  her  excla 
mations  of  delight  brought  a  soft  flush  to  Katy's  cheek, 
while  she  felt  a  thrill  of  the  olden  vanity  as  she  saw  her 
self  once  more  arrayed  in  all  her  costly  apparel.  Helen 
did  not  wonder  at  Wilford's  desire  to  have  Katy  with 
him,  and  very  proudly  she  watched  her  young  sister  as 
Esther  twined  the  flowers  in  her  hair  and  then  brought 
out  the  ermine  cloak  she  was  to  wear  as  a  protection 
against  the  cold. 

Wilford  was  standing  by  her,  making  a  few  sugges 
tions,  and  expressing  his  approbation  in  a  way  which 
reminded  Helen  of  that  night  before  the  marriage,  when 
Katy's  dress  had  been  condemned,  and  of  that  sadder,  bit 
terer  time,  when  she  had  poured  her  tears  like  rain  into 
that  trunk  returned.  All  she  had  thought  of  Wilford 
then  was  now  more  than  confirmed,  but  he  was  kind  to 
her  and  very  proud  of  Katy,  so  she  forced  back  her  feel 
ings  of  disquiet,  which,  however,  were  roused  again  when 
she  saw  the  dark  look  on  his  face,  as  Katy,  at  the  very 
last,  ran  to  the  nursery  to  kiss  baby  good-bye,  succeeding 
this  time  in  waking  it,  as  was  proven  by  the  cry  which 
made  Wilford  scowl  angrily  and  brought  to  his  lips  a 
word  of  rebuke  for  Katy's  childishness. 

The  party  was  not  so  large  as  that  at  Sybil  Grandon's, 
but  it  was  more  select,  and  Helen  enjoyed  it  better,  meet- 


2oo  The  Cameron  Pride. 

ing  people  who  readily  appreciated  the  peculiarities  of 
her  mind,  and  who  would  have  made  her  forget  all  else 
around  her  if  she  had  not  been  a  guest  at  Mark  Ray's 
house.  It  was  the  first  time  she  had  met  him  away  from 
home  since  the  night  at  Mrs.  Grandon's,  and  as  if  for 
getful  of  her  reserve,  he  paid  her  numberless  attentions, 
which,  coming  from  the  master  of  the  house,  were  the 
more  to  be  valued. 

With  a  quiet  dignity  Helen  received  them  all,  the 
thought  once  creeping  into  her  heart  that  she  was  pre 
ferred,  notwithstanding  that  engagement.  But  she  soon 
repudiated  this  idea  as  unworthy  of  her.  She  could  not 
be  wholly  happy  with  one  who,  to  win  her  hand,  had 
trampled  upon  the  affections  of  another,  even  if  that  other 
were  Juno  Cameron. 

And  so  she  kept  out  of  his  way  as  much  as  possible, 
watching  her  sister  admiringly  as  she  moved  about  with 
an  easy,  assured  grace,  or  floated  like  a  snowflake  through 
the  dance  in  which  Wilford  persuaded  her  to  join,  look 
ing  after  her  with  a  proud,  all-absorbing  feeling,  which 
left  no  room  for  Sybil  Grandon's  coquettish  advances. 

As  if  the  reappearance  of  Katy  had  awakened  all  that 
was  weak  and  silly  in  Sybil's  nature,  she  again  put  forth 
her  powers  of  attraction,  but  met  only  With  defeat.  Katy, 
and  even  Helen,  was  preferred  before  her, — both  belles 
of  a  different  type;  but  both  winning  golden  laurels  from 
those  who  hardly  knew  which  to  admire  more — Katy,  with 
her  pure,  delicate  beauty  and  charming  simplicity,  or 
Helen,  with  her  attractive  face,  and  sober,  quiet  manner. 
But  Katy  grew  tired  early.  She  could  not  endure  what 
she  once  did ;  and  when  she  came  to  Wilford  with  a  weary 
look  upon  her  face,  and  asked  him  to  go  home,  he  did 
not  refuse,  though  Mark,  who  was  near,  protested  against 
their  leaving  so  soon. 

"  Surely  Miss  Lennox  might  remain;  the  carriage  could 
be  sent  back  for  her;  and  he  had  hardly  seen  her  at  all." 
But  Miss  Lennox  chose  to  go;  and  after  her  white  cloak" 
and  hood  had  passed  through  the  door  into  the  street, 
there  was  nothing  attractive  for  Mark  in  his  crowded  par 
lors,  and  he  was  glad  when  the  last  guest  had  departed, 
and  he  was  left  alone  with  his  mother. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  201 

Operas,  parties,  receptions,  dinners,  matinees,  morning 
calls,  drives,  visits,  and  shopping;  how  fast  one  crowded 
upon  the  other,  leaving  scarcely  an  hour  of  leisure  to  the 
devotee  of  fashion  who  attended  to  them  all.  How  aston 
ished  Helen  was  to  find  what  high  life  in  New  York  im 
plied,  and  she  ceased  to  wonder  that  so  many  of  the  young 
girls  grew  haggard  and  old  before  their  time,  or  that  the 
dowagers  grew  selfish  and  hard  and  scheming.  She  should 
die  outright,  she  thought,  and  she  pitied  poor  little  Katy, 
who,  having  once  returned  to  the  world,  seemed  destined 
to  remain  there,  in  spite  of  her  entreaties  aivl  the  excuses 
she  made  for  declining  the  invitations  which  poured  in 
so  fast. 

"  Baby  was  not  well — Baby  needed  her,""  was  the  plea 
with  which  she  met  Wilford's  arguments,  until  the  men 
tion  of  his  child  was  sure  to  bring  a  scowl  upon  his  face, 
and  it  became  a  question  in  Helen's  mind,  whether  he 
would  not  be  happier  if  Baby  had  never  come  between 
him  and  his  ambition. 

To  hear  Katy's  charms  extolled,  and  know  that  he  was 
envied  the  possession  of  so  rare  a  gem,  feeling  all  the 
while  sure  of  her  faith,  was  Wilford's  great  delight,  and 
it  is  not  strange  that,  without  any  very  strong  fatherly 
feeling  or  principle  of  right  in  that  respect,  he  should 
be  irritated  by  the  little  life  so  constantly  interfering 
with  his  pleasure  and  so  surely  undermining  Katy's  health. 
For  Katy  did  not  improve,  as  Wilford  hoped  she  might; 
and  with  his  two  hands  he  could  span  her  slender  waist, 
while  the  beautiful  neck  and  shoulders  were  no  longer 
worn  uncovered,  for  Katy  would  not  display  her  'bones, 
whatever  the  fashion  might  be.  In  this  dilemma  Wilford 
sought  his  mother,  and  the  result  of  that  consultation 
brought  a  more  satisfied  look  to  his  face  than  it  had 
worn  for  many  a  day. 

"  Strange  he  had  never  thought  of  it,  when  it  was  what 
so  many  people  did,3'  he  said  to  himself,  as  he  hurried 
home.  "It  was  the  very  best  thing  both  for  Katy  and 
the  child,  and  would  obviate  every  difficulty." 

Next  morning,  as  she  sometimes  did  when  more  than 
usually  fatigued,  Katy  breakfasted  in  bed ;  while  Wilford's 
face,  as  he  sat  opposite  Helen  at  the  table,  had  on  it  a 


2O2  The  Cameron  Pride. 

look  of  quiet  determination,  such  as  she  had  rarely  seen 
there  before.  In  a  measure,  accustomed  to  his  moods, 
she  felt  that  something  was  wrong,  and  never  dreaming 
that  he  intended  honoring  her  with  his  confidence,  she 
was  wishing  he  would  finish  his  coffee  and  leave,  when, 
motioning  the  servant  from  the  room,  he  said  abruptly, 
and  in  a  tone  which  roused  Helen's  antagonistic  powers 
at  once,  it  was  so  cool,  so  decided,  "  I  believe  you  have 
more  influence  over  your  sister  than  I  have;  at  least,  she 
has  latterly  shown  a  willfulness  in  disregarding  me  and 
a  willingness  to  listen  to  you,  which  confirms  me  in  this 
conclusion " 

"  Well,"  and  Helen  twisted  her  napkin  ring  nervously, 
waiting  for  him  to  say  more ;  but  her  manner  discon 
certed  him,  making  him  a  little  uncertain  as  to  what  might 
be  hidden  behind  that  rigid  face,  and  a  little  doubtful  as 
to  the  expression  it  would  put  on  when  he  had  said  all 
he  meant  to  say. 

He  did  not  expect  it  to  wear  a  look  as  frightened  and 
hopeless  as  Katy's  did  when  he  last  saw  it  upon  the  pil 
low,  for  he  knew  how  different  the  two  sisters  were,  and 
much  as  he  had  affected  to  despise  Helen  Lennox,  he 
was  afraid  of  her  now.  Tt  had  never  occurred  to  him 
before  that  he  was  somewhat  uncomfortable  in  her  pres 
ence — that  her  searching  brown  eyes  often  held  him  in 
check;  but  it  came  to  him  now,  that  his  wife's  sister  had 
a  will  almost  as  firm  as  his  own,  and  she  was  sure  to 
take  Katy's  part.  He  saw  it  in  her  face,  even  though 
she  had  no  idea  of  what  he  meant  to  say. 

He  must  explain  sometime,  and  so  at  last  he  continued. 
"  You  must  have  seen  how  opposed  Katy  is  to  complying 
with  my  wishes,  setting  them  at  naught,  when  she  knows 
how  much  pleasure  she  would  give  me  by  yielding  as  she 
used  to  do." 

"I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  Helen  replied,  "un 
less  it  is  her  aversion  to  going  out,  as  that,  I  think,  is  the 
only  point  where  her  obedience  has  not  been  absolute." 

"  Wilford  did  not  like  the  words  obedience  and  absolute; 
that  is,  he  did  not  like  the  sound.  Their  definition  suited 
him,  but  Helen's  enunciation  was  at  fault,  and  he  an 
swered  quickly,  "  I  do  not  require  absolute  obedience  from 


The  Cameron  Pride.  203 

Katy.  I  never  did ;  but  in  this  matter  to  which  you  refer, 
I  think  she  might  consult  my  wishes  as  well  as  her  own. 
There  is  no  reason  for  her  secluding  herself  in  the  nursery 
as  she  does.  Do  you  think  there  is  ?  " 

He  put  the  question  direct,  and  Helen  answered  it. 

"I  do  not  believe  Katy  means  to  displease  you,  but 
she  has  conceived  a  strong  aversion  for  festive  scenes, 
and  besides,  baby  is  not  healthy,  you  know,  and  like  all 
young  mothers,  she  may  be  over-anxious,  while  I  fancy 
she  has  not  the  fullest  confidence  in  the  nurse,  and  this 
may  account  for  her  unwillingness  to  leave  the  child 
with  her/' 

"  Kirby  was  all  that  was  desirable,"  Wilford  replied, 
"  His  mother  had  taken  her  from  a  genteel,  respectable 
house  in  Bond  street,  and  he  paid  her  an  enormous  price, 
consequently  she  must  be  right;"  and  then  came  the  story 
that  his  mother  had  decided  that  neither  Katy  nor  baby 
would  improve  so  long  as  they  remained  together;  that 
for  both  a  separation  was  desirable;  that  she  had  recom 
mended  sending  the  child  into  the  country,  where  it  would 
be  better  cared  for  than  it  could  be  at  home,  with  Katy 
constantly  undoing  all  Mrs.  Kirby  had  done,  waking  it 
from  sleep  whenever  the  fancy  took  her,  and  in  short, 
treating  it  much  as  she  probably  did  her  doll  when  she 
was  a  little  girl.  With  the  child  away,  there  would  be 
nothing  to  prevent  Katy's  going  out  again  and  getting 
back  her  good  looks,  which  were  somewhat  impaired. 

"  Why,  she  looks  older  than  you  do,"  Wilford  said, 
thinking  thus  to  conciliate  Helen,  who  quietly  replied, 

"  There  is  not  two  years  difference  between  us,  and  I 
have  always  been  well,  and  kept  regular  hours  until  I 
came  here." 

Wilford's  compliment  had  failed,  and  more  annoyed  than 
before,  he  asked,  not  what  Helen  thought  of  the  arrange 
ment,  but  if  she  would  influence  Katy  to  act  and  think 
rationally  upon  it ;  "  at  least,  you  will  not  make  it  worse," 
he  said,  and  this  time  there  was  something  deferential  and 
pleading  in  his  manner. 

Helen  knew  the  matter  was  fixed, — that  neither  Katy's 
tears  nor  entreaties  would  avail  to  revoke  the  decision, 
and  so,  though  her  whole  soul  rose  in  indignation  against 


2O4  The  Cameron  Pride. 

a  man  who  would  deliberately  send  his  nursing  baby  from 
his  roof  because  it  was  in  his  way,  and  was  robbing  his 
bride's  cheek  of  its  girlish  bloom,  she  answered  com 
posedly, 

"  I  will  do  what  I  can,  but  I  must  confess  it  seems  to 
me  an  unnatural  thing.  I  had  supposed  parents  less 
selfish  than  that." 

"  Wilford  did  not  care  what  Helen  had  supposed,  and 
her  opposition  only  made  him  more  resolved.  Still  he 
did  not  say  so,  and  he  tried  to  smile  as  he  quitted  the 
table  and  remarked  to  her, 

"  I  hope  to  find  Katy  reconciled  when  I  come  home. 
I  think  I  had  better  not  go  up  to  her  again,  so  tell  her  I 
send  a  good-bye  kiss  by  you.  I  leave  her  case  in  your 
hands." 

It  was  a  far  more  difficult  case  than  either  he  or  Helen 
imagined,  and  the  latter  started  back  in  alarm  from  the 
white  face  which  greeted  her  view  as  she  entered  Katy's 
room,  and  then  with  a  moan  hid  itself  in  the  pillow. 

66  Wilford  thought  he  would  not  come  up,  but  he  sent 
a  kiss  by  me,"  Helen  said,  softly  touching  the  bright,  dis 
ordered  hair,  all  she  could  see  of  her  sister. 

"It  does  not  matter,"  Katy  gasped.  *"  Kisses  cannot 
help  me  if  they  take  baby  away.  Did  he  tell  you?"  and 
she  turned  now  partly  towards  Helen,  who  nodded  af 
firmatively,  while  Katy  continued,  "  Had  he  taken  a  knife 
and  cut  a  cruel  gash  it  would  not  have  hurt  me  half  so 
badly.  I  could  bear  that,  but  my  baby — oh,  Helen,  do 
you  think  they  will  take  *her  away  ?  " 

She  was  looking  straight  at  Helen,  who  shivered  as  she 
met  an  expression  so  unlike  Katy,  and  so  like  to  that  a 
hunted  deer  might  wear  if  its  offspring  were  in  danger. 

"  Say,  do  you  think  they  will  ? "  she  continued,  shed 
ding  back  with  her  t1  in  hand  the  mass  of  tangled  curls 
which  had  fallen  about  her  eyes. 

"  Whom  do  you  mean  by  they  ?  "  Helen  asked,  coming 
near  to  her,  and  sitting  down  upon  the  bed. 

There  was  a  resentful  gleam  in  the  blue  eyes  usually 
so  gentle,  as  Katy  answered, 

"  Whom  do  I  mean?  His  folks,  of  course!  They  have 
been  the  instigators  of  every  sorrow  I  have  known  since 


The  Cameron  Pride.  205 

I  left  Silverton.  Oh,  Helen !  never,  never  marry  any 
body  who  has  folks,  if  you  wish  to  be  happy ." 

Helen  could  not  repress  a  smile,  though  she  pitied  her 
sister,  who  continued, 

"  I  don't  mean  father  Cameron,  nor  Bell,  for  I  believe 
they  love  me.  Father  does,  I  know,  and  Bell  has  helped 
me  so  often;  but  Mrs.  Cameron  and  Juno,  oh,  Helen,  you 
will  never  know  what  they  have  been  to  me." 

Since  Helen  came  to  New  York  there  had  been  so  much 
else  to  talk  about  that  Katy  had  said  comparatively  little 
of  the  Camerons.  Now,  however  there  was  no  holding 
back  on  Katy's  part,  and  beginning  with  the  first  night 
of  her  arrival  in  New  York,  she  told  what  is  already 
known  to  the  reader,  exonerating  Wilford  in  word,  but 
dealing  out  full  justice  to  his  mother  and  Juno,  the  for 
mer  of  whom  controlled  him  so  completely. 

"  I  tried  so  hard  to  love  her,"  Katy  said,  "  and  if  she 
had  given  me  ever  so  little  in  return  I  would  have  been 
satisfied;  but  she  never  did — that  is,  when  I  hungered 
for  it  most,  missing  you  at  home,  and  the  loving  care 
which  sheltered  me  in  childhood.  After  the  world  took 
me  into  favor  she  began  to  caress  me,  but  I  was  wicked 
enough  to  think  it  all  came  of  selfishness.  I  know  I  am 
hard  and  bad,  for  when  I  was  sick,  Mrs.  Cameron  was 
really  very  kind,  and  I  began  to  like  her;  but  if  she  takes 
baby  away  I  shall  surely  < lie." 

"  Where  is  baby  to  be  sent  ?  "  Helen  asked,  and  Katy 
answered, 

"  Up  the  river,  to  a  house  which  Father  Cameron  owns,, 
and  which  is  kept  by  a  farmer's  family.  I  can't  trust 
Kirby.  I  do  not  like  her.  She  keeps  baby  asleep  too  long, 
and  acts  so  cross  if  I  try  to  wake  her,  or  hint  that  she 
looks  unnatural.  I  cannot  give  baby  to  her  care,  with  no 
one  to  look  after  her,  though  Wilford  says  I  must." 

Katy  had  never  offered  so  violent  opposition  to  any  plan 
as  she  did  n-ow  to  that  of  sending  her  child  away. ' 

"  I  can't,  I  can't,"  she  repeated  constantly,  and  Mrs. 
Cameron's  call,  made  that  afternoon,  with  a  view  to  rec 
oncile  the  matter,  only  made  it  worse,  so  that  Wilford, 
on  his  return  at  night,  felt  a  pang  of  self-reproach  as  he 
saw  the  drooping  figure  holding  his  child  upon  its  lap 


206  The  Cameron  Pride. 

and  singing  its  lullaby  in  a  plaintive  voice,  which  told 
how  sore  was  its  heart. 

Wilford  did  not  mean  to  be  either  a  savage  or  a  brute. 
On  the  contrary,  he  had  made  himself  believe  that  he 
was  acting  only  for  the  good  of  both  mother  and  child; 
but  the  sight  of  Katy  touched  him,  and  he  might  have 
given  up  the  contest  had  not  Helen,  unfortunately,  .aken 
up  the  cudgels  in  Katy's  defence,  neglecting  to  conceal 
the  weapons,  and  so  defeating  her  purpose.  It  was  at  the 
dinner,  from  which  Katy  was  absent,  that  she  ventured 
to  speak,  not  asking  that  the  plan  be  given  up,  but  speak 
ing  of  it  as  an  unnatrual  one,  which  seemed  to  her  not 
only  useless,  but  cruel. 

Wilford  did  not  tell  her  that  her  opinion  was  not  de 
sired,  but  his  manner  implied  as  much,  and  Helen  felt 
the  angry  blood  prickling  through  her  veins,  as  she  lis 
tened  to  his  reply,  that  it  was  neither  unnatural  nor  cruel ; 
that  many  people  did  it,  and  his  would  not  be  an  iso 
lated  case. 

"  Then,  if  it  must  be,"  Helen  said,  "  pray  let  it  go  to 
Silverton,  and  I  will  be  its  nurse.  Katy  will  not  object 
to  that." 

In  a  very  ironical  tone  Wilford  thanked  her  for  her 
offer,  which  he  begged  leave  to  decline,  intimating  a  pref 
erence  for  settling  his  own  matters  according  to  his  own 
ideas.  Helen  knew  that  further  argument  was  useless, 
and  wished  herself  at  home,  where  there  were  no  wills 
like  this,  which,  ignoring  Katy's  tears  and  Katy's  plead 
ing  face,  would  not  retract  one  iota,  or  even  stoop  to 
reason  with  the  suffering  mother,  except  to  reiterate,  "  It 
is  only  for  your  good,  and  every  one  with  common  sense 
will  say  so." 

Next  morning  Helen  was  surprised  at  Katy's  proposi 
tion  to  drive  round  to  Fourth  street,  and  call  on  Marian. 

"  I  have  a  strong  presentiment  that  she  can  do  me  good/' 
Katy  said. 

"  Shall  you  tell  her  ? "  Helen  asked,  in  some  surprise ; 
and  Katy  replied,  "  Perhaps  I  may,  I'll  see." 

An  hour  later,  and  Katy,  up  in  Marian's  room,  sat 
listening  intently,  while  Marian  spoke  of  a  letter  received 
a  few  days  since  from  an  old  friend  who  had  worked 


The  Cameron  Pride.  207 

with  her  at  Madam  's,  and  to  whom  she  had  been 

strongly  attached,  keeping  up  a  correspondence  with  her 
after  her  marriage  and  removal  to  New  London,  in  Con 
necticut,  and  whose  little  child  had  borne  Marian's  name. 
That  child,  born  two  months  before  Katy's,  was  dead, 
and  the  mother,  finding  her  home  so  desolate,  had  written, 
beseeching  Marian  to  come  to  her  for  the  remainder  of 
the  winter. 

There  was  an  eager  look  in  Katy's  face,  and  her  eyes 
danced  with  the  new  idea  which  had  suddenly  taken  pos 
session  of  her.  She  could  not  trust  baby  with  Kirby  up 
the  river,  but  she  could  trust  her  in  New  London  with 
Mrs.  Hubbell,  if  Marian  was  there,  and  grasping  the  lat- 
ter's  arm,  she  exclaimed,  "  Is  Mrs.  Hubbell  poor  ?  Would 
she  do  something  for  money,  a  great  deal  of  money,  I 
mean  ?  " 

In  a  few  moments  Marian  had  heard  Katy's  trouble, 
and  Katy's  wish  that  Mrs.  Hubbell  should  take  her  child 
in  place  of  the  little  one  dead.  "  Perhaps  she  would  not 
harbor  the  thought  for  a  moment,  but  she  misses  her  own 
so  much,  it  made  me  think  she  might  take  mine.  Write 
to  her,  Marian, — write  to-day, — now,  before  I  go,"  Katy 
continued,  clasping  Marian's  hand,  with  an  expression 
which,  more  than  aught  else,  won  Marian  Hazelton's  con 
sent  to  a  plan  which  seemed  so  strange. 

"  Yes,  I  will  write/'  she  answered ;  "  I  will  tell  Amelia 
what  you  desire/' 

"  But,  Marian,  you  too  must  go,  if  baby  does — I'll  trust 
baby  with  you.  Say,  Marian,  will  you  go  with  my  dar 
ling?" 

It  was  hard  to  refuse,  with  those  great,  wistful,  plead 
ing  eyes,  looking  so  earnestly  into  hers;  but  Marian  must 
have  time  to  consider.  She  had  thought  of  going  to  New 
London  to  open  a  shop,  and  if  she  did,  she  should  board 
with  Mrs.  Hubbell,  and  so  be  with  the  child.  She  would 
decide  when  the  answer  came  to  the  letter. 

This  was  all  the  encouragement  she  would  give;  but  it- 
was  enough  to  change  the  whole  nature  of  Katy's  feelings, 
and  her  face  looked  bright  and  cheerful  as  she  tripped 
down  the  stairway,  talking  to  Helen  of  what  seemed  to 
both  like  a  direct  interposition  of  Providence,  and  what 


208  The  Cameron  Pride. 

she  was  sure  would  please  Wilford  quite  as  well  as  the 
farm-house  up  the  river. 

"  Surely  he  will  yield  to  me  in  this/"'  she  said.  Nor 
was  she  wrong;  for,  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  make  some 
concessions,  and  still  in  the  main  have  his  own  way,  Wil 
ford  raised  no  objection  to  the  plan  as  communicated  to 
him  by  Katy,  when,  at  an  earlier  hour  than  usual  he 
ca-me  home  to  dinner,  and  with  the  harmony  of  his  house 
hold  once  more  restored,  felt  himself  a  model  husband, 
as  he  listened  to  Katy's  plan  of  sending  baby  to  New 
London.  On  the  whole,  it  might  be  better  even  than  the 
farm-house  up  the  river,  he  thought,  for  it  was  further 
away,  and  Katy  could  not  be  tiring  herself  with  driving 
out  every  few  days,  and  keeping  herself  constantly  uneasy 
and  excited.  The  distance  between  New  York  and  New 
London  was  the  best  feature  of  the  whole;  and  he  won 
dered  Katy  had  not  thought  of  it  as  an  objection.  But 
she  had  not,  and  but  for  the  pain  when  she  remembered 
the  coming  separation,  she  would  have  been  very  happy 
that  evening,  listening  with  Wilford  and  Helen  to  a  new 
opera  brought  out  for  the  first  time  in  New  York. 

Very  differently  from  this  was  Marian's  evening  passed, 
and  on  her  face  there  was  a  look  such  as  Katy's  had 
never  worn,  as  she  asked  for  guidance  to  choose  the  right, 
to  lay  all  self  aside,  and  if  it  were  her  duty,  to  care  for 
the  child  she  had  never  seen,  but  whose  birth  had  stirred 
the  pulsations  of  her  heart  and  made  the  old  wound  bleed 
and  throb  with  bitter  anguish.  And  as  she  prayed  there 
crept  into  her  face  a  look  which  told  that  self  was  sacrificed 
at  last,  and  Katy  Cameron  was  safe  with  her. 

**#***** 

Mrs.  Hubbell  was  willing — aye,  more  than  that — was 
glad  to  take  the  child,  and  the  generous  remuneration 
offered  would  make  them  so  comfortable  in  their  little 
cottage,  she  wrote  to  Marian,  who  hastened  to  confer  by 
note  with  Katy,  adding  in  a  postscript,  "  Is  it  still  youi 
wish  that  I  should  go?  If  so,  I  am  at  your  disposal." 

It  was  Katy's  wish,  and  she  replied  at  once,  going  next 
to  the  nursery  to  talk  with  Mrs.  Kirby.  Dark  were  the 
frowns  and  dire  the  displeasure  of  that  lady  when  told 
that,  instead  of  going  up  the  river,  as  she  had  hoped,  she 


The  Cameron  Pride.  209 

was  free  to  return  to  the  "genteel  and  highly  respectable 
home  on  Bond  street,"  where  Mrs.  Cameron  had  found 
her. 

"  Wait  till  the  Madam  comes,  and  then  we'll  see,"  she 
thought,  referring  to  Mrs.  Cameron,  and  feeling  delighted 
when,  that  very  day,  she  heard  that  lady's  voice  in  the 
parlor. 

But  Mrs.  Cameron,  though  a  little  anxious  with  regard 
to  both  Mrs.  HubbelPs  and  Marian's  antecedents,  saw 
that  Wilford  was  in  favor  of  New  London,  and  so  vr'cd 
accordingly,  only  asking  that  she  might  write  to  Kew 
London  with  regard  to  Mrs.  Hubbell  and  her  fitness  to 
take  charge  of  a  child  in  whose  veins  Cameron  blood  was 
flowing.  To  this  Katy  assented,  and  as  the  answer  re 
turnee;  to  Mrs.  Cameron's  letter  was  altogether  favorable, 
it  was  decided  that  Mrs.  Hubbell  should  come  to  the  city 
at  once  for  her  little  charge. 

In  a  week's  time  she  arrived,  seeming  everything  Katy 
could  ask  for,  and  as  Mrs.  Cameron,  too,  approved  her 
heartily  as  a  modest,  well-spoken  young  woman,  who 
knew  her  place,  it  was  arranged  that  she  should  return 
home  with  her  little  charge  on  Saturday,  thus  giving  Katy 
the  benefit  of  Sunday  in  which  "  to  get  over  it  and  re 
cover  her  usual  spirits/'  Mrs.  Cameron  said.  The  fact 
that  Marian  was  going  to  New  London  within  a  week 
after  baby  went,  reconciled  Katy  to  the  plan,  making  her 
even  cheerful  during  the  last  day  of  baby's  stay  at  home. 
But  as  the  daylight  waned  and  the  night  came  on,  a 
shadow  began  to  steal  across  her  face,  and  her  step  was 
slower  as  she  went  up  the  stairs  to  the  nursery,  while 
only  herself  that  night  could  disrobe  the  little  creature 
and  hush  it  into  sleep. 

"  'Tis  the  last  time,  you  know,"1  she  said  to  Kirby,  who 
went  out,  leaving  the  young  mother  and  child  alone. 

Mournfully  sad  and  sweet  was  the  lullaby  Katy  sang, 
and  Helen,  who,  in  the  hall,  was  listening  to  the  low,  sad 
moaning, — half  prayer,  half  benediction, — likened  it  to  a 
farewell  between  the  living  and  dead.  Half  an  hour  later, 
when  she  glanced  into  the  room,  lighted  only  by  the  moon 
beams,  baby  was  sleeping  in  her  crib,  whilst  Katy  knelt 
beside,  her  face  buried  in  her  hands,  and  her  form  quiv- 


2io  The  Cameron  Pride. 

ering  with  the  sobs  she  tried  to  smother  as  she  softly 
prayed  that  her  darling  might  come  back  again;  that 
God  would  keep  the  little  child  and  forgive  the  erring 
mother,  who  had  sinned  so  deeply  since  the  time  she  used 
to  pray  in  her  home  among  the  hills  of  Massachusetts. 
She  was  very  white  next  morning,  and  to  Helen  she  seeined 
to  be  expanding  into  something  more  womanly,  more  ma 
ture,  as  she  disciplined  herself  to  bear  the  pain  welling 
up  so  constantly  from  her  heart,  and  at  last  overflowing 
in  a  flood  of  tears,  when  Mrs.  Hubbell  was  announced 
as  in  the  parlor  below,  waiting  for  her  charge. 

It  was  Katy  who  made  her  baby  ready,  trusting  her  to 
no  one  else,  and  repelling  with  a  kind  of  fierce  decision 
all  offers  of  assistance  made  either  by  Helen,  Mrs.  Cam 
eron,  Bell,  or  the  nurse,  who  were  present,  while  Katy's 
hands  drew  on  the  little  bright,  soft  socks  of  wool,  tied 
the  hood  of  satin  and  lace,  and  fastened  the  scarlet  cloak, 
her  tears  falling  fast  as  she  met  the  loving,  knowing  look 
the  baby  was  just  learning  to  give  her,  half  smiling,  half 
cooing,  as  she  bent  her  face  down  to  it. 

"  Please  all  of  you  go  out,"  she  said,  when  baby  was 
ready — "  Wilford  and  all.  I  would  rather  be  alone." 

They  granted  her  request,  but  Wilford  stood  beside  the 
open  door,  listening  while  the  mother  b*ade  farewell  to 
her  baby. 

"  Darling/'  she  murmured,  "  what  will  poor  Katy  do 
when  you  are  gone,  or  what  will  comfort  her  as  you  have 
done?  Precious  baby,  my  heart  is  breaking  to  give  you 
up;  but  will  the  Father  in  Heaven,  who  knows  how  much 
yon  are  to  me,  keep  you  from  harm  and  bring  you  back 
again?  I'd  give  the  world  to  keep  you,  but  I  cannot  do 
it,  for  Wilford  says  that  you  must  go,  and  Wilford  is  your 
father." 

At  that  moment  Wilford  Cameron  would  have  given 
half  his  fortune  to  have  kept  his  child  for  Katy's  sake, 
but  it  was  now  too  late;  the  carriage  was  at  the  door, 
and  Mrs.  Hubbell  was  waiting  in  the  hall  for  the  little 
procession  filing  down  the  stairs.  Mrs.  Cameron  and  Bell, 
Wilford  and  Katy,  who  carried  the  baby  herself,  her  face 
bent  over  it  and  her  tears  still  dropping  like  rain.  But  it 
was  Wilford  who  took  the  baby  to  the  carriage,  going 


The  Cameron  Pride.  211 

with  it  to  the  train  and  seeing  Mrs.  Hubbell  off;  then, 
on  his  way  back,  he  drove  round  to  his  own  house,  which 
even  to  him  seemed  lonely,  with  all  the  paraphernalia  of 
babyhood  removed.  Still,  now  that  the  worst  was  over, 
he  rather  enjoyed  it,  for  Katy  was  free  from  care;  there 
was  nothing  to  hinder  her  gratifying  his  every  wish,  and 
with  his  spirits  greatly  enlivened  as  he  reflected  how  satis 
factory  everything  had  been  managed  at  the  last,  h  pro 
posed  taking  both  Helen  and  Katy  to  the  theatre  that  night. 
But  Katy  answered,  "  No,  Wilf ord,  not  to-night ;  it  seems 
too  much  like  baby's  funeral.  I'll  go  next  week,  but  not 
to-night." 

So  Katy  had  her  way,  and  among  the  worshipers  who 
next  day  knelt  in  Grace  Church,  with  words  of  prayer 
upon  their  lips,  there  was  not  one  in  ore  in  earnest  than 
she,  whose  only  theme  was,  "  My  child,  my  darling  child." 

She  did  not  get  over  it  by  Monday,  as  Mrs.  Cameron 
had  predicted.  She  did  not  get  over  it  at  all,  though 
she  went  without  a  word  where  Wilford  willed  that  she 
shcnld  go,  and  was  ere  long  a  belle  again,  but  nothing 
hfl  oower  to  draw  one  look  from  her  blue  eyes,  the  look 
\\i.ich  many  observed,  and  which  Helen  knew  sprang  from 
the  mother-love,  hungering  for  its  child.  Only  once  be 
fore  had  Helen  seen  a  look  like  this,  and  that  had  come 
to  Morris's  face  on  the  sad  night  when  she  said  to  him, 
"  It  might  have  been."  It  had  been  there  ever  since,  and 
Helen  felt  that  by  the  pangs  with  which  that  look  was 
born  he  was  a  better  man,  just  as  Katy  was  growing  better 
for  that  hunger  in  her  heart.  God  was  taking  His  own 
way  to  purify  them  both,  and  Helen  watched  intently, 
wondering  what  the  end  would  be. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

AUNT   BETSY   GOES    ON   A   JOURNEY. 

JUST  through  the  woods,  where  Uncle  Ephraim  was 
wont  to  exercise  old  Whitey,  was  a  narrow  strip  of  land, 
extending  from  the  highway  to  the  pond,  and  fertile  in 
nothing  except  the  huckleberry  bushes,  and  the  rocky  ledges 
over  which  a  few  sheep  roamed,  seeking  for  the  short  grass 


212  The  Cameron  Pride. 

and  stunted  herbs,  which  gave  them  a  meagre  sustenance. 
As  a  whole,  it  was  comparatively  valueless,  but  to  Aunt 
Betsy  Barlow  it  was  of  gre^t  importance,  as  it  was — lier 
property — the  land  on  which  she  paid  taxes  willingly — 
the  real  estate,  the  deed  of  which  was  lying  undisturbed  in 
her  hair  trunk,  where  it  had  lain  for  years.  Several  dis 
positions  the  good  old  lady  had  mentally  made  of  this 
property,  sometimes  dividing  it  equally  between  Helen  and 
K«ty,  sometimes  willing  it  all  to  the  former,  and  again, 
when  she  thought  of  Mark  Bay,  leaving  the  interest  of  it 
to  some  missionary  society  in  which  she  was  interested. 

How,  then,  wras  the  poor  woman  amazed  and  confounded 
when  suddenly  there  appeared  a  claimant  to  her  prop 
erty;  not  the  whole,  but  a  part,  and  that  part  taking  in 
the  big  sweet  apple-tro^  and  the  very  best  of  the  berry 
bushes,  leaving  her  nothing  but  rocks  and  bogs,  a  pucker 
cherry-tree,  a  patch  of  tansy,  and  one  small  tree,  whose 
gnarly  apples  were  not  fit,  she  said,  to  feed  the  pigs. 

Of  course  she  was  indignant,  and  all  the  more  so  be 
cause  the  claimant  was  prepared  t;  prove  that  the  line 
fence  was  not  where  it  should  be,  but  ran  into  his  own 
dominions  for  the  width  of  two  or  three  rods,  a  fact  he 
had  just  discovered  by  looking  over  a  Bundle  of  deeds, 
in  which  the  boundaries  of  his  own  farm  were  clearly 
denned. 

In  her  distress,  Aunt  Betsy's  first  thoughts  were  turned 
to  Wilford  as  the  man  who  could  redress  her  wrongs,  if 
any  one,  and  a  long  letter  was  written  to  him,  in  which 
her  grievances  were  told  in  detail  and  his  advice  solicited. 
Commencing  with  "  My  dear  Wilford,"  closing  with  "  Your 
respected  ant,"  sealed  with  a  wafer,  stamped  with  her 
thimble,  and  directed  bottom  side  up,  it  nevertheless  found 

its  way  to  No.  Broadway,  and  into  Wilford's  hands. 

But  with  a  frown  and  pish  of  contempt  he  tossed  it  into 
the  grate,  and  vain  were  all  Aunt  Betsy's  inquiries  as  to 
whether  there  was  any  letter  for  her  when  Uncle  Ephraim 
came  home  from  the  office.  Letters  there  were  from  Helen, 
and  sometimes  one  from  Katy,  but  none  from  Wilford, 
and  her  days  were  passed  in  great  perplexity  and  distress, 
until  another  idea  took  possession  of  her  mind.  She  would 
go  to  New  York  herself !  She  had  never  traveled  over 


The  Cameron  Pride.  21 

half  a  dozen  miles  in  the  cars,  it  was  true,  but  it  was 
time  she  had,  and  now  that  she  had  a  new  bonnet  and 
shawl,  she  could  go  to  York  as  well  as  not ! 

Wholly  useless  were  the  expostulations  of  the  family, 
for  she  would  not  listen  to  them,  nor  believe  that  she 
would  not  be  welcome  at  that  house  on  Madison  Square, 
to  which  Mrs.  Lennox  had  never  been  invited  since  Katy 
was  fairly  settled  in  it.  Much  at  first  had  been  said  of 
her  coming,  and  of  the  room  she  was  to  occupy;  but  all 
that  had  ceased,  and  in  the  mother's  heart  there  had  been 
a  painful  doubt  as  to  the  reason  of  the  silence,  until 
Helen's  letters  enlightened  her,  telling  her  it  was  Wil- 
ford  who  had  built  so  high  a  wall  between  Katy  and  her 
friends. 

Far  better  than  she  used,  did  Mrs.  Lennox  understand 
her  son-in-law,  and  she  shrank  in  horror  from  suffering 
her  aunt  to  go  where  she  would  be  so  serious  an  annoy 
ance,  frankly  telling  her  the  reason  for  her  objections,  and 
asking  if  she  wished  to  mortify  the  girls 

At  this  Aunt  Betsy  took  umbrage  at  once. 

"  She'd  like  to  know  what  there  was  about  her  to  mor 
tify  anybody?  Wasn't  her  black  silk  dress  made  long  and 
full,  and  the  old  pongee  fixed  into  a  Balmoral,  and  hadn't 
she  a  bran  new  cap  with  purple  ribbon,  and  couldn't  she 
travel  in  her  delaine,  and  didn't  she  wear  hoops  always 
now,  except  at  cleanin'  house  times?  Didn't  she  nuss 
both  the  girls,  especially  Catherwe,  carrying  her  in  her  arms 
one  whole  night  when  she  had  the  canker-rash,  and  every 
body  thought  she'd  die?  And  when  she  swallered  that 
tin  whistle,  didn't  she  spat  her  on  the  back  and  swing 
her  in  the  air  till  she  came  to  and  blew  the  whistle  clear 
across  the  room?  Tell  her  that  Catherine  would  be 
ashamed  !  She  knew  better !  " 

Then,  as  a  doubt  began  to  cross  her  own  mind  as  tu 
Wilford's  readiness  to  entertain  her  at  his  house,  she  con 
tinued, 

"  At  any  rate,  the  Tubbses,  who  moved  from  Silverton 
last  fall,  and  who  are  living  in  such  style  on  the  Bowery, 
wouldn't  be  ashamed,  and  I  can  stop  with  them  at  first, 
till  I  see  how  the  land  lies.  They  have  invited  me  to 
come,  both  Miss  Tubbs  and  'Tilda,  and  they  are  nice 


214  The  Cameron  Pride. 

folks,  who  belong  to  the  Orthodox  Church.  Tom  is  in 
town  now,  and  if  I  see  him  I  shall  talk  with  him  about 
it,  even  if  I  never  go." 

Most  devoutly  did  Mrs.  Lennox  and  Aunt  Hannah  hope 
that  Tom  would  return  to  New  York  without  honoring 
the  farm-house  with  a  call;  but,  unfortunately  for  them, 
he  came  that  very  afternoon,  and  instead  of  throwing 
obstacles  in  Aunt  Betsy's  way,  urged  her  warmly  to  make 
the  proposed  visit. 

"  Mother  would  be  so  glad  to  see  an  old  neighbor,'' 
the  honest  youth  said,  "  for  she  did  not  know  many  folks 
in  the  city.  'Till  had  made  some  flashy  acquaintances, 
of  whom  he  did  not  think  much,  and  they  kept  a  few 
boarders,  but  nobody  had  called,  and  mother  was  lone 
some.  He  wished  Miss  Barlow  would  come ;  she  would 
have  no  difficulty  in  finding  them,"  and  on  a  bit  of  paper 
he  marked  out  the  route  of  the  Fourth  Avenue  cars,  which 
passed  their  door,  and  which  Aunt  Betsy  would  take  after 
arriving  at  the  New  Haven  depot.  "  If  he  knew  when 
she  was  coming,  he  would  meet  her,"  he  said,  but  Aunt 
Betsy  could  not  tell;  she  was  not  quite  certain  whether 
she  should  go  at  all,  she  was  so  violently  opposed. 

Still  she  did  not  give  it  up  entirely,  and  when,  a  few 
days  after  Tom's  return  to  New  York,  there  came  a  press 
ing  invitation  from  the  daughter  Matilda,  or  Mat-tie,  as 
she  signed  herself,  the  fever  again  ran  high,  and  this 
time  with  but  little  hope  of  its  abating. 

"We  shall  be  delighted,  both  mother  and  me,"  Mattie 
wrote.  "  I  will  show  you  all  the  lions  of  the  city,  and 
when  you  get  tired  of  us  you  can  go  up  to  Mrs.  Cameron's. 
I  know  exactly  where  they  live,  and  have  seen  her  at  the 
opera  in  full  dress,  looking  like  a  queen." 

Over  the  last  part  of  this  letter  Aunt  Betsy  pondered 
for  some  time.  "  That  as  good  an  Orthodox  as  Miss 
Tubbs  should  let  her  girl  go  to  the  opera,  passed  her. 
She  had  wondered  at  Helen's  going,  but  then,  she  was  a 
'Piscopal,  and  them  'Piscopale  had  queer  notions  about 
usin'  the  world  and  abusin'  it."  Still,  as  Helen  did  not 
attend  the  theatre,  and  did  attend  the  opera,  there  must  be 
a  difference  between  the  two  places,  and  into  the  old  lady's 
heart  there  slowly  crept  the  thought  that  possibly  she 


The  Cameron  Pride.  215 

might  try  the  opera,  too,  if  'Tilda  Tubbs  would  go,  and 
promise  never  to  tell  the  folks  at  Silverton. 

This  settled,  Aunt  Betsy  began  to  devise  the  best  means 
of  getting  off  with  the  least  opposition.  Both  Morris  and 
her  brother  would  be  absent  from  town  during  the  next 
week,  and  she  finally  resolved  to  take  that  opportunity 
for  starting  on  her  visit  to  New  York,  wisely  concluding 
to  keep  her  own  counsel  until  she  was  quite  ready.  Ac 
cordingly,  on  the  very  day  Morris  and  the  deacon  left 
Silverton,  she  announced  her  intention  so  quietly  and  de 
cidedly  that  further  opposition  was  useless,  and  Mrs.  Len 
nox  did  what  she  could  to  make  her  aunt  presentable. 
And  Aunt  Betsy  did  look  very  respectable,  in  her  dark 
delaine,  with  her  hat  and  shawl,  both  Morris's  gift,  and 
both  in  very  good  taste.  As  for  the  black  silk  and  the  new 
cap,  they  were  carefully  folded  away,  one  in  a  box  and 
the  other  in  a  satchel  she  carried  on  her  arm,  and  ir  one 
compartment  of  which  were  sundry  papers  of  fennel,  jara- 
way,  and  catnip,  intended  for  Katy's  baby,  and  which 
could  be  sent  to  it  from  New  York.  There  was  also  a 
package  of  dried  plums  and  peaches  for  Katy  herself,  and 
a  few  cakes  of  yeast  of  her  own  make,  better  than  any 
they  had  in  the  city !  Thus  equipped,  she  one  morning 
took  her  seat  in  the  Boston  and  New  York  train,  which 
carried  her  swiftly  on  towards  Springfield. 

"  If  anybody  can  find  their  way  in  New  York,  it  is 
Betsy,"  Aunt  Hannah  said  to  Mrs.  Lennox,  as  the  day 
wore  on  and  their  thoughts  went  after  the  lone  woman, 
who,  with  satchel,  umbrella  and  cap-box,  was  felicitating 
in  the  luxury  of  a  whole  seat,  and  the  near  neighbor 
hood  of  a  very  nice  }7oung  man,  who  listened  with  well-bred 
interest  while  she  told  of  her  troubles  concerning  the 
sheep-pasture,  and  how  she  was  going  to  New  York  to 
consult  a  first-rate  lawyer. 

Once  she  thought  to  tell  who  the  lawyer  was,  and  per 
haps  enhance  her  own  merits  in  the  eyes  of  her  auditor 
by  announcing  herself  as  aunt  to  Mrs.  Wilford  Cameron, 
of  whom  she  had  no  doubt  he  had  heard — nay,  more, 
whom  he  possibly  knew,  inasmuch  as  his  home  was  in 
New  York,  though  he  spent  much  of  his  time  at  West 
Point,  where  he  had  been  educated.  But  certain  dis- 


216  The  Cameron  Pride. 

agreeable  remembrances  of  Aunt  Hannah's  parting  injunc 
tion,  "  not  to  tell  everybody  in  the  cars  that  she  was 
Katy's  aunt,"  kept  her  silent  on  that  point,  and  so  Lieu 
tenant  Bob  Reynolds  failed  to  be  enlightened  with  regard 
to  the  relationship  existing  between  the  fastidious  Wil- 
ford  Cyameron  of  Madison  Square,  and  the  quaint  eld 
lady  whose  very  first  act  on  entering  the  car  had  amused 
him  Y:..^tly.  At  a  glance  he  saw  that  she  was  unused  to 
traveling,  and  as  the  car  was  crowded,  he  had  kindly 
offered  his  seat  near  the  door,  taking  the  side  one  under 
the  window,  and  so  close  to  her  that  she  gave  him  her 
cap-box  to  hold  while  she  adjusted  her  other  bundles.  This 
done,  and  herself  comfortably  settled,  she  was  just  re 
making  that  she  liked  being  close  to  the  door,  in  case  of 
a  fire,  when  the  conductor  appeared,  extending  his  hand 
officially  towards  her  as  the  first  one  convenient.  For  an 
instant  Aunt  Betsy  scanned  him  closely,  thinking  she 
surely  had  never  seen  him  before,  but  as  he  seemed  to 
claim  acquaintance,  she  could  not  find  it  in  her  kind 
heart  to  ignore  him  altogether,  and  so  she  grasped  the 
offered  hand,  which  she  tried  to  shake,  saying  apologeti 
cally, 

"  Pretty  well,  thank  you,  but  you've  tgot  the  better  of 
me,  as  I  don't  justly  recall  your  name." 

Instantly  the  eyes  of  the  young  man  under  the  window 
met  those  of  the  conductor  with  a  look  which  changed  the 
frown  gathering  in  the  face  of  the  latter  into  a  comical 
smile,  as  he  withdrew  his  hand  and  shouted, 

"  Ticket,  madam,  your  ticket !  " 

"  For  the  land's  sake,  have  I  got  to  give  that  up  so 
quick,  when  it's  at  the  bottom  of  my  satchel,"  Aunt  Betsy 
replied,  somewhat  crest-fallen  at  her  mistake,  and  fum 
bling  in  her  pocket  for  the  kc-y,  which  was  finally  pro 
duced,  and  one  by  one  the  pa£»er  parcels  of  fennel,  cara 
way,  and  catnip,  dried  plums,  peaches  and  yeast  cakes, 
were  taken  out,  until  at  the  very  bottom,  as  she  had  said, 
the  ticket  was  found,  the  conductor  waiting  patiently, 
and  advising  her,  by  way  of  avoiding  future  trouble,  to 
pin  the  card  to  her  shawl,  where  it  could  be  seen. 

"  A  right  nice  man,"  was  Aunt  Betsy's  mental  com 
ment,  but  for  a  long  time  there  was  a  red  spot  on  her 


The  Cameron  Pride.  217 

cheeks  as  she  felt  that  she  had  made  herself  ridiculous, 
and  hoped  the  girls  would  never  hear  of  it. 

The  young  man  helped  to  reassure  her,  and  in  telling 
him  her  troubles  she  forgot  her  chagrin,  feeling  very 
sorry  that  he  was  going  on  to  Albany,  and  so  down 
the  river  to  West  Point.  West  Point  was  associated  in 
Aunt  Betsy's  mind  with  that  handful  of  noble  men  who 
within  the  walls  of  Sumter  were  then  the  centre  of  so 
much  interest,  and  at  parting  with  her  companion  she 
said  to  him. 

"  Young  man,  you  are  a  soldier,  I  take  it,  from  your 
havin'  been  to  school  at  West  Point.  Maybe  you'll  never 
have  to  use  your  learning,  but  if  you  do,  stick  to  the 
old  flag.  Don't  you  go  against  that,  and  if  an  old 
woman's  prayers  for  your  safety  can  do  any  good,  be 
sure  you'll  have  mine." 

She  raised  her  hand  reverently,  and  Lieutenant  Bob 
felt  a  kind  of  awe  steal  over  him  as  if  he  might  one  day 
need  that  benediction,  the  first  perhaps  given  in  the 
cause  then  so  terribly  agitating  all  hearts  both  North 
and  South. 

"  I'll  remember  what  you  say,"  he  answered,  and  then 
as  a  new  idea  was  presented  he  took  out  a  card,  and 
writing  a  few  lines  upon  it,  bade  her  hand  it  to  the  con 
ductor  just  as  she  was  getting  into  the  city. 

Without  her  glasses  Aunt  Betsy  could  not  read,  and 
thinking  it  did  not  matter  now,  she  thrust  the  card  into 
her  pocket,  and  bidding  her  companion  good-by,  took 
her  seat  in  the  other  train.  Lonely  and  a  very  little 
home-sick  she  began  to  feel;  for  her  new  neighbors  were 
not  as  willing  to  talk  as  Bob  had  been,  and  she  finally 
relapsed  into  silence,  which  resulted  in  a  quiet  sleep, 
from  which  she  awoke  just  as  they  were  entering  the 
long,  dark  tunnel,  which  she  would  have  likened  to  Pur 
gatory,  had  she  believed  in  such  a  place. 

"  I  didn't  know  we  ran  into  cellars,"  she  said  faintly ; 
but  nobody  heeded  her,  or  cared  for  the  anxious  timid- 
looking  woman,  who  grew  more  and  more  anxious,  until 
suddenly  remembering  the  card,  she  drew  it  from  her 
pocket,  and  the  next  time  the  conductor  appeared  handed 
it  to  him,  watching  him  while  he  read  that  "  Lieut. 


218  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Robert  Reynolds  would  consider  it  as  a  personal  favor 
if  he  would  see  the  bearer  safely  into  the  Fourth  Avenue 
cars/' 

Surely  there  is  a  Providence  which  watches  over  all; 
and  Lieutenant  Reynolds's  thoughtfulness  was  not  a  mere 
chance,  but  the  answer  to  the  simple  trust  Aunt  Betsy 
had  that  God  would  take  her  safely  to  New  York.  The 
conductor  knew  Lieutenant  Bob,  and  attended  as  faith 
fully  to  his  wishes  as  if  it  had  been  a  born  princess  in 
stead  of  Aunt  Betsy  Barlow  whom  he  led  to  a  street  car, 
ascertaining  the  number  on  the  Bowery  where  she  wished 
to  stop,  and  reporting  to  the  conductor,  who  bowed  in 
acquiescence,  after  glancing  at  the  woman,  and  knowing 
intuitively  that  she  wa3  from  the  country.  Could  she 
have  divested  herself  wholly  of  the  fear  that  the  con 
ductor  would  forget  to  put  her  off  at  the  right  place, 
Aunt  Betsy  would  have  enjoyed  that  ride  very  much ; 
and  as  it  was,  she  looked  around  with  interest,  thinking 
New  York  a  mightily  cluttered-up  place,  and  wondering 
if  all  the  folks  were  in  the  streets;  then,  as  a  lady  in 
flaunting  robes  took  a  seat  beside  her,  crowding  her  into 
a  narrow  space,  the  good  old  dame  thought  to  show  that 
she  did  not  resent  it,  by  an  attempt  at  sociability,  asking 
if  she  knew  "  Miss  Peter  Tubbs,  whose  husband  kept  a 
store  on  the  Bowery  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  that  honor/'  was  the  haughty  reply,  the 
lady  drawing  up  her  costly  shawl  and  moving  a  little 
away  from  her  interlocutor,  who  continued,  "  I  thought 
like  enough  you  might  have  seen  'Tilda,  or  Mattie  as 
she  calls  herself  now.  She  is  a  right  nice  girl,  and  Tom 
is  a  very  forrard  boy." 

To  this  there  was  no  reply;  and  as  the  lady  soon  left 
the  car,  Aunt  Betsy  did  not  make  another  attempt  at 
conversation,  except  to  ask  once  how  far  they  were  from 
the  Bowery,  adding,  as  she  received  a  civil  answer,  "  You 
don't  know  Mr.  Peter  Tubbs  ?  " 

That  worthy  man  was  evidently  a  stranger  to  the  occu 
pants  of  that  car,  which  stopped  at  last  upon  a  crossing, 
the  conductor  pointing  back  a  few  doors  to  the  right, 
and  telling  her  that  was  her  number. 

"I  should  s'pose  he  might  have  driv  right  up,  instead 


The  Cameron  Pride.  219 

of  leaving  me  here/'  she  said,  looking  wistfully  after  the 
retreating  car.  "  Coats,  and  trowsers,  and  jackets !  I 
wonder  if  there  is  nothing  else  to  be  seen  here,"  she  con 
tinued,  as  her  eye  caught  the  long  line  of  clothing  so 
conspicuously  displayed  in  that  part  of  the  Bowery. 
'•'  'Taint  no  great  shakes,"  was  the  feeling  struggling  into 
Aunt  Betsy's  mind,  as  with  Tom's  outline  map  in  hand 
she  peered  at  the  numbers  of  the  doors,  finding  the  right 
one,  and  ringing  the  bell  with  a  force  which  brought 
Mattie  at  once  to  the  rescue. 

If  Mattie  was  not  glad  to  see  her  guest,  she  seemed  to 
be,  which  answered  every  purpose  for  the  tired  woman, 
who  followed  her  into  the  dark,  narrow  hall,  and  up  the 
narrow  stairs,  through  a  still  darker  hall,  and  into  the 
front  parlor,  which  looked  out  upon  the  Bowery. 

Mrs.  Tubbs  was  glad  to  see  Aunt  Betsy.  She  did  not 
take  kindly  to  city  life,  and  the  sight  of  a  familiar  face, 
which  brought  the  country  with  it,  was  very  welcome  to 
her.  Mattie,  on  the  contrary,  liked  New  York,  and  there 
was  sc-arcely  a  street  where  she  had  not  been,  with  Tom 
for  a  protector;  while  she  was  perfectly  conversant  with 
all  the  respectable  places  of  amusement — with  their  dif 
ferent  prices  and  different  grades  of  patrons.  She  knew 
where  Wilford  Cameron's  office  was,  and  also  his  house, 
for  she  had  walked  by  the  latter  many  a  time,  admiring 
the  elegant  curtains,  and  feasting  her  eyes  upon  the 
glimpses  of  inside  grandeur,  which  she  occasionally  obtained 
as  some  one  came  out  or  went  in.  Once  she  had  seen  Helen 
and  Katy  enter  their  carriage,  which  the  colored  coachman 
drove  away,  but  she  had  never  ventured  to  accost  them. 
Katy  would  not  have  known  her  if  she  had,  for  the 
family  had  come  to  Silverton  while  she  was  at  Canandaigna, 
and  as,  after  her  return  to  Silverton,  until  her  marriage, 
Mattie  had  been  in  one  of  the  Lawrence  factories,  they  had 
never  met.  With  Helen,  however,  she  had  a  speaking 
acquaintance;  but  she  had  never  presumed  upon  it  in 
New  York,  though  to  some  of  her  young  friends  she  had 
told  how  she  once  sat  in  the  same  pew  with  Mrs.  Wilford 
Cameron's  sister  when  she  went  to  the  "  Episcopal  meet 
ing,"  and  the  consideration  which  this  fact  procured  for 
her  from  those  who  had  heard  of  Mrs.  Wilford  Cameron,  of 


22O  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Madison  Square,  awoke  in  her  the  ambition  to  know  more 
of  that  lady,  and,  if  possible,  gain  an  entrance  to  her 
dwelling.  To  this  end  she  favored  Aunt  Betsy's  visit, 
hoping  thus  to  accomplish  her  object,  for,  of  course,  when 
Miss  Barlow  went  to  Mrs.  Cameron's,  she  was  the  proper 
person  to  go  with  her  and  point  the  way.  This  was  the 
secret  of  Mattie's  letter  to  Aunt  Betsy,  and  the  warmth 
with  which  she  welcomed  her  to  that  tenement  on  the 
Bowery,  over  a  clothing  store,  and  so  small  that  it  is 
not  strange  Aunt  Betsy  wondered  where  they  all  slept, 
never  dreaming  of  the  many  devices  known  to  city  house 
keepers,  who  can  change  a  handsome  parlor  into  a  kitchen 
or  sleeping  room,  and  vice  versa,  with  little  or  no  trouble. 
But  she  found  it  out  at  last,  lifting  her  hands  in  speechless 
amazement,  when,  as  the  hour  for  retiring  camo,  what 
she  had  imagined  the  parlor  bookcase  was  converted  in 
to  a  comfortable  bed,  on  which  her  first  night  in  New 
York  was  passed  in  comfort  if  not  in  perfect  quiet. 

The  next  day  had  been  set  apart  by  Mattie  for  show 
ing  their  guest  the  city,  and  possibly  calling  on  Mrs. 
Wilford;  but  the  poor  old  lady,  unused  to  travel  and  ex 
citement,  was  too  tired  to  go  out,  and  stayed  at  home  the 
entire  day,  watching  the  crowds  of  people  in  the  street, 
and  occasionally  wishing  herself  back  in  the  clean,  bright 
kitchen,  where  the  windows  looked  out  upon  woods  and 
fields  instead  of  that  never-ceasing  rush  which  made  her 
dizzy  and  faint.  On  the  whole  she  was  as  nearly  home 
sick  as  she  well  could  be,  and  so  when  Mattie  asked  if 
she  would  like  to  go  out  that  evening,  she  caught  eagerly 
at  the  idea,  as  it  involved  a  change,  and  again  the 
opera  came  before  her  mind,  in  spite  of  her  attempts  to 
thrust  it  away. 

"  Did  'Tilda  know  if  Katy  went  to  the  opera  now  ? 
Did  she  s'pose  she  would  be  there  to-night?  Was  it  far 
to  the  show?  What  was  the  price? — and  was  it  a  very 
wicked  place?" 

To  all  these  queries  Mattie  answered  readily.  She 
presumed  Katy  would  be  there,  as  it  was  a  new  opera. 
It  was  not  so  very  far.  Distance  in  the  city  was  noth 
ing,  and  it  was  not  a  wicked  place;  but  over  the  price 
Mattie  faltered.  Tickets  for  Aunt  Betsy,  herself  and  rJ)om, 


The  Cameron  Pride.  221 

•who  of  course  must  go  with  them,  would  cost  more  than 
her  father  had  to  give.  The  theatre  was  preferable,  as 
that  came  within  their  means,  and  she  suggested  Wallack's, 
but  from  that  Aunt  Betsy  recoiled  as  from  Pandemonium 
itself. 

"  Catch  Tier  at  a  theatre — a  deacon's  sister,  looked  up 
to  for  a  sample,  and  who  run  once  for  Vice-President  of 
the  Sewing  Society  in  Silverton !  It  was  too  terrible  to 
think  of."  But  the  opera  seemed  different.  Helen  went 
there;  it  could  not  be  very  wrong,  particularly  as  the 
tickets  were  so  high,  and  taking  out  her  purse,  Aunt 
Betsy  counted  its  contents  carefully,  holding  the  bills 
thoughtfully  for  a  moment,  while  she  seemed  to  be  bal 
ancing  between  what  she  knew  was  safe  and  what  she 
feared  might  be  wrong,  at  least  in  the  eyes  of  Silverton. 

"  But  Silverton  will  never  know  it,"  the  tempter 
whispered,  "  and  it  is  worth  something  to  see  the  girls  in 
full  dress." 

This  last  decided  it,  and  Aunt  Betsy  generously  offered 
"to  pay  the  fiddler,  provided  'Tilda  would  never  let  it 
get  to  Silverton,  that  Betsy  Barlow  was  seen  inside  a 
play-house ! "  To  Mrs.  Tubbs  it  seemed  impossible  that 
Aunt  Betsy  could  be  in  earnest,  but  when  she  found  she 
was,  she  put  no  impediments  in  her  way ;  and  so,  con 
spicuous  among  the  crowd  of  transient  visitors  who  that 
night  entered  the  Academy  of  Music  was  Aunt  Betsy 
Barlow,  chaperoned  by  Miss  Mattie  Tubbs,  and  protected 
by  Tom,  a  shrewd,  well-grown  youth  of  seventeen,  who 
passed  for  some  years  older,  and  consequently  was  a 
sufficient  escort  for  the  ladies  under  his  charge.  It  was 
not  his  first  visit  there,  and  he  managed  to  procure  a  seat 
whioh  commanded  a  good  view  of  several  private  boxes, 
and  among  them  that  of  Wilford  Cameron.  This  Mat- 
tie  pointed  out  to  the  excited  woman  gazing  about  her  in 
a  maze  of  bewilderment,  and  half  doubting  her  own 
identity  with  the  Betsy  Barlow  who,  six  weeks  before,  if 
charged  with  such  a  sin  as  she  was  now  committing, 
would  have  exclaimed,  "  Is  thy  servant  a  dog,  to  do  this 
thing  ?  "  Yet  here  she  was,  a  deacon's  sister,  a  candidate 
for  the  Vice-Presidency  of  the  Silverton  Sewing  Society, 
a  woman  who,  for  sixty-three  years  and-a-half,  had  led^a 


222  The  Cameron  Pride. 

blameless  life,  frowning  upon  all  worldly  amusements 
and  setting  herself  for  a  burning  light  to  others — here 
she  was  in  her  black  dress,  her  best  shawl  pinned  across 
her  chest,  and  her  bonnet  tied  in  a  square  bow  which 
reached  nearly  to  her  ears.  Here  she  was,  in  that  huge 
building,  where  the  lights  were  so  blinding,  and  the 
crowd  so  great  that  she  shut  her  eyes  involuntarily,  while 
she  tried  to  realize  what  she  could  be  doing. 

"I'm  in  for  it  now,  anyhow,  and  if  it  is  wrong  may 
the  good  Father  forgive  me,"  she  said  softly  to  herself, 
just  as  the  orchestra  struck  up,  thrilling  her  with  its 
ravishing  strains,  and  making  her  forget  all  else  in  her 
rapturous  delight. 

She  was  very  fond  of  music,  and  listened  eagerly, 
beating  time  with  both  her  feet,  and  making  her  bonnet 
go  up  and  down  until  the  play  commenced  and  she  saw 
stage  dress  and  stage  effect  for  the  first  time  in  her  life. 
This  part  she  did  not  like ;  "  they  mumbled  their  words 
so  nobody  could  understand  more  than  if  they  spoke  a 
heathenish  tongue,"  she  thought,  and  she  was  beginning 
to  yawn  when  a  nudge  from  Mattie  and  a  whisper, 
"  There  they  come/'  roused  her  from  her  stupor,  and 
looking  up  she  saw  both  Helen  and  Katy  entering  their 
box,  and  with  them  Mark  Bay  and  Wilf6rd  Cameron. 

Very  rapidly  Katy's  eyes  swept  the  house,  running 
over  the  sea  of  heads  below,  but  failing  to  see  the  figure 
which,  half  rising  from  its  seat,  stood  gazing  upon  her, 
the  tears  running  like  rain  over  the  upturned  face,  and 
the  lips  murmuring,  "  Darling  Katy  !  blessed  child !  She's 
thinner  than  when  I  see  her  last,  but  oh !  so  beautiful 
and  grand !  Precious  lambkin !  It  isn't  wicked  now  for 
me  to  be  coming  here,  where  I  can  see  her  face 
again." 

It  was  all  in  vain  that  Mattie  pulled  her  dress,  bidding 
her  sit  down  as  people  were  staring  at  her.  Aunt  Betsy 
did  not  hear,  and  if  she  had  she  would  scarcely  have 
cared  for  those  who,  following  her  eyes,  saw  the  beauti 
ful  young  ladies,  behind  whom  Wilford  and  Mark  were 
standing,  but  never  dreamed  of  associating  them  with  the 
"crazy  thing"  who  sank  back  at  last  into  her  seat,  keep 
ing  her  eyes  still  upon  the  box  where  Helen  and  Katy 


The  Cameron  Pride.  223 

sat,  their  heads  uncovered,  and  their  cloaks  falling  off 
just  enough  to  show  the  astonished  woman  that  their 
necks  were  uncovered  too,  while  Helen's  arms,  raised 
to  adjust  her  glass,  were  discovered  to  be  in  the  same 
condition. 

"  Ain't  they  splendid  in  full  dress ! "  Mattie  whispered, 
while  Aunt  Betsy  replied, 

"  Call  that  full  dress  ?  Fd  sooner  say  it  was  no  dresa 
at  all!  They'll  catch  their  death  of  cold.  What  would 
their  mother  say?" 

Then,  as  the  enormity  of  the  act  grew  upon  her,  she 
continued  more  to  herself  than  to  Mattie, 

"  I  mistrusted  Catherine,  but  that  Helen  should  come  to 
this  passes  me." 

Still,  as  she  became  more  accustomed  to  it,  and  glanced 
at  other  full-dressed  ladies,  the  first  shock  passed  away, 
and  she  could  calmly  contemplate  Katy's  dress,  wonder 
ing  what  it  cost,  and  then  letting  her  eyes  pass  on  to 
Helen,  to  whom  Mark  Bay  seemed  so  lover-like  that  Aunt 
Betsy  remembered  her  impressions  when  he  stopped  at 
Silverton,  her  heart  swelling  with  pride  as  she  thought 
of  both  the  girls  making  out  so  well. 

"  Who  is  that  young  man  talking  to  Helen  ?  "  Mattie 
asked,  between  the  acts,  and  when  told  it  "was  Mr.  Ray, 
Wilford's  partner,"  she  drew  her  breath  eagerly,  and 
turned  again  to  watch  him,  envying  the  young  girl  who 
did  not  seem  as  much  gratified  with  the  attentions  as 
Mattie  fancied  she  should  be  were  she  in  Helen's 
place. 

How  could  she,  with  Juno  Cameron  just  opposite, 
watching  her  jealously,  while  Madam  Cameron  fanned 
herself  indignantly,  refusing  to  look  upon  what  she  so 
greatly  disapproved. 

But  Mark  continued  his  attentions  until  Helen  wished 
herself  away,  and  though  a  good  deal  surprised,  was 
not  sorry  when  Wilford  abruptly  declared  the  opera  a 
bore,  and  suggested  going  home. 

They  would  order  an  ice,  he  said,  and  have  a  much 
pleasanter  time  in  their  own  private  parlor. 

"  Please  not  go ;  I  like  the  play  .to-night,"  Katy  said ; 
but  on  Wilford's  face  there  was  that  look  which  never 


224  The  Cameron  Pride. 

consulted  Katy's  wishes,  and  so  the  two  ladies  tied  on 
their  cloaksj  and  just  as  the  curtain  rose  in  the  last  act, 
left  their  f>ox,  while  Aunt  Betsy  looked  wistfully  after 
them,  but  did  not  suspect  she  was  the  cause  of  their  exit, 
and  of  Wilford's  perturbation. 

Running  his  eyes  over  the  hous>  below,  they  had  fallen 
upon  the  trio,  Aunt  Betsy,  Mattie,  and  Tom,  the  first  of 
whom  was  at  that  moment  partly  standing,  while  she  ad 
justed  her  heavy  shawl,  which  the  heat  of  the  building 
had  compelled  her  to  unfasten. 

There  was  a  start,  a  rush  of  blood  to  the  head  and 
face,  and  then  he  reflected  how  impossible  it  was  that  she 
should  be  there,  in  New  York,  and  at  the  opera,  too. 

The  shawl  arranged,  Aunt  Betsy  took  her  seat  and  turned 
her  face  fully  toward  him,  while  Wilford  seized  Katy's 
glass  and  leveled  it  at  her.  He  was  not  mistaken.  It  was 
Aunt  Betsy  Barlow,  and  Wilford  felt  the  perspiration  ooz 
ing  out  beneath  his  hair  and  about  his  lips,  as  he  remem 
bered  the  letter  he  had  burned,  wishing  now  that  he  had 
answered  it,  and  so,  perhaps,  have  kept  her  from  his  door. 
Fc-  she  was  coming  there,  nay,  possibly  had  come,  since  his 
departure  from  home,  and  learning  his  whereabouts  had 
followed  on  to  the  Academy  of  Music,  leaving  her  baggage 
where  he  should  stumble  over  it  on  entering  the  hall. 

Such  was  the  fearful  picture  conjured  up  by  Wilford's 
imagination,  as  he  stood  watching  poor  Aunt  Betsy,  a  dark 
cloud  on  his  brow  and  fierce  anger  at  his  heart,  that  she 
should  thus  presume  to  worry  and  annoy  him. 

"If  she  spies  us  she  will  be  finding  her  way  up  here; 
there's  no  piece  of  effrontery  of  which  that  class  is  not 
capable,"  he  thought,  wondering  next  who  the  vulgar-look 
ing  girl  and  gauche  youth  were  who  were  with  her. 

"  Country  cousins,  of  whom  I  have  never  heard,  no 
doubt/'  and  he  ground  his  teeth  together  as  with  his  next 
breath  he  suggested  going  home,  carrying  out  his  sug 
gestion  and  hurrying  both  Helen  and  Katy  to  the  carriage 
as  if  some  horrible  dragon  had  been  on  their  track. 

There  was  no  baggage  in  the  hall;  there  had  been  no 
woman  there,  and  Wilford's  fears  for  a  time  subsided,  but 
grew  strong  again  about  the  time  he  knew  the  opera  was 
out,  while  the  sound  of  wheels  coming  towards  his  door 


The  Cameron  Pride.  225 

was  sufficient  to  make  his  heart  stop  beating,  and  every 
hair  prickle  at  its  roots. 

But  Aunt  Betsy  did  not  come  except  in  Wilford's  dreams, 
which  she  haunted  the  entire  night,  so  that  the  morning 
found  him  tired,  moody  and  cross.  That  day  they  enter 
tained  a  select  dinner  party,  and  as  this  was  something 
in  which  Katy  excelled,  while  Helen's  presence,  instead  of 
detracting  from,  would  add  greatly  to  the  eclat  of  the  af 
fair,  Wilford  had  anticipated  it  with  no  small  degree  of 
complacency.  But  now,  alas,  there  was  a  phantom  at  his 
side, — a  skeleton  of  horror,  wearing  Aunt  Betsy's  guise; 
and  if  it  had  been  possible  he  would  have  given  the  dinner 
up.  But  it  was  too  late  for  that ;  the  guests  were  bidden, 
the  arrangements  made,  and  there  was  nothing  now  for 
him  but  to  abide  the  consequences. 

"  She  shall  at  least  stay  in  her  room,  if  I  have  to  lock 
her  in,"  he  thought,  as  he  went  down  to  his  office  without 
kissing  Katy  or  bidding  her  good-by. 

Business  that  day  had  no  interest  for  him,  and  in  a 
listless,  absent  way  he  sat  watching  the  passers-by  and 
glancing  at  his  door  as  if  he  expected  the  first  assault  to 
be  made  there.  Then,  as  the  day  wore  on,  and  he  felt 
sure  that  what  he  so  much  dreaded  had  really  come  to 
pass,  that  the  baggage  expected  last  night  had  certainly 
arrived  by  this  time  and  spread  itself  over  his  house,  he 
could  endure  the  suspense  no  longer,  and  startled  Mark 
with  the  announcement  that  he  was  going  home,  and 
should  not  return  again  that  day. 

"  Going  home,  when  Leavit  is  to  call  at  three !  "  Mark 
said,  in  much  surprise,  and  feeling  that  it  would  be  a 
relief  to  unburden  himself  to  some  one,  the  story  came 
out  that  Wilford  had  seen  Aunt  Betsy  at  the  opera,  and 
expected  to  find  her  at  Madison  Square. 

"  I  wish  I  had  answered  her  letter  about  that  confounded 
sheep  pasture,"  he  said,  "  for  I  would  rather  give  a  thousand 
dollars — yes,  ten  thousand — than  have  her  with  us  to-day. 
I  did  not  marry  my  wife's  relations,"  he  continued,  ex 
citedly,  adding,  as  Mark  looked  quickly  up,  "  Of  course  I 
don't  mean  Helen.  Neither  do  I  mean  that  doctor,  for 
he  is  a  gentleman.  But  this  Barlow  woman — oh !  Mark, 
I  am  all  of  a  dripping  sweat  just  to  think  of  it." 


226  The  Cameron  Pride. 

He  did  not  say  what  he  intended  doing,  but  with  Mark 
Kay's  ringing  laugh  in  his  ears,  passed  into  the  street,  and 
hailing  a  stage  was  driven  towards  home,  just  as  a  down 
town  stage  deposited  on  the  walk  in  front  of  his  office  "  that 
Barlow  woman  "  and  Mattie  Tubbs ! 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

AUNT  BETSY  CONSULTS  A  LAWYER. 

AUNT  Betsy  did  not  rest  well  after  her  return  from  the 
opera.  Novelty  and  excitement  always  kept  her  awake,  and 
her  mind  was  not  wholly  at  ease  with  regard  to  what  she 
had  done.  Not  that  she  really  felt  she  had  committed  a 
sin,  except  so  far  as  the  example  might  be  bad,  but  she 
feared  the  result,  should  it  ever  reach  the  Orthodox  church 
at  Silverton. 

"  There's  no  telling  what  Deacon  Bannister  would  do 
— send  a  subp&na  after  me,  for  what  I  know,"  she  thought, 
as  she  laid  her  tired  head  upon  her  pillow  and  went  off 
into  a  weary  state,  half  way  between  sleep  and  wake- 
fulness,  in  which  operas,  play-actors?t  Katy  in  full  dress, 
Helen  and  Mark  Ray,  choruses,  music  by  the  orchestra, 
to  which  she  had  been  guilty  of  beating  her  foot,  Deacon 
Bannister,  and  the  whole  offended  brotherhood,  with  con 
stable  and  subpoenas,  were  pretty  equally  blended  together. 

But  with  the  daylight  her  fears  subsided,  and  at  the 
breakfast  table  she  was  hardly  less  enthusiastic  over  the 
opera  than  Mattie  herself,  averring,  however,  that  "  once 
would  do  her,  and  she  had  no  wish  to  go  again." 

The  sight  of  Katy  had  awakened  all  the  olden  intense 
love  she  had  felt  for  her  darling,  and  she  could  not  wait 
much  longer  without  seeing  her. 

"  Hannah  and  Lucy,  and  amongst  'em,  advised  me  not 
to  come,"  she  said  to  Mrs.  Tubbs,  "and  they  hinted  that 
I  might  not  be  wanted  up  there ;  but  now  I'm  here  I  shall 
go,  if  I  don't  stay  more  than  an  hour." 

"  Of  course  I  should,"  Mattie  answered,  herself  anxious 
to  stand  beneath  Wilford  Cameron's  roof,  and  see  Mrs. 
Wilford  at  home.  "  She  don't  look  as  proud  as  Helen,  and 


The  Cameron  Pride.  227 

you  are  her  aunt,  her  blood  kin;  why  shouldn't  you  go 
there  if  you  like  ?  " 

"  I  shall— I  am  going,"  Aunt  Betsy  replied,  feeling  that 
to  take  Mattie  with  her  was  not  quite  the  thing,  and  not 
exactly  knowing  how  to  manage,  for  the  girl  must  of 
course  pilot  the  way.  "I'll  risk  it  and  trust  to  Provi 
dence,"  was  her  final  decision,  and  so  after  an  early  lunch 
she  started  out  with  Mattie  as  her  escort,  suggesting  that 
they  visit  Wilford's  office  first,  and  get  that  affair  off  her 
mind. 

At  this  point  Aunt  Betsy  began  to  look  upon  herself  ns 
a  most  hardened  wretch,  wondering  at  the  depths  of  in 
iquity  to  which  she  had  fallen.  The  opera  was  the  least 
of  her  offences,  for  was  she  not  harboring  pride  and  con- 
triv  ng  how  to  be  rid  of  ''Tilda  Tubbs,  as  clever  a  girl  as 
ever  lived,  hoping  that  if  she  found  Wilford  he  would  see 
her  home,  and  so  save  'Tilda  the  trouble?  Play-houses, 
pride,  vanity,  subterfuges  and  deceit — it  was  a  long  cata 
logue  she  would  have  to  confess  to  Deacon  Bannister,  if 
confess  she  did,  and  with  a  groan  the  conscience-smitten 
woman  followed  her  conductor  along  the  streets,  and  at  last 
into  the  stagr*  which  took  them  to  Wilford's  office. 

Broadway  was  literally  jammed  that  day,  and  the  aid  of 
two  policenK^n  was  required  to  extricate  the  bewildered 
country womnn  from  the  mass  of  vehicles  and  horses'  heads, 
which  took  all  her  sense  away.  Trembling  like  a  leaf  when 
Mattie  explained  that  the  "two  nice  men"  who  had 
dragged  her  to  the  walk  were  police  officers,  and  thinking 
again  of  the  subpoena,  the  frightened  woman  who  had  es 
caped  such  peril,  followed  up  the  two  flights  of  stairs 
and  into  Wilford's  office,  where  she  sank  breathless  into  a 
chair,  while  Mark,  not  in  the  least  surprised,  greeted  her 
cordially,  and  very  soon  succeeded  in  getting  her  quiet, 
bowing  so  graciously  to  Mattie  when  introduced  that  the 
poor  girl  dreamed  of  him  for  many  a  night,  and  by  day 
built  castles  of  what  might  have  been  had  she  been  rich, 
instead  of  only  'Tilda  Tubbs,  whose  home  was  on  the 
Bowery.  Why  need  Aunt  Betsy  in  her  introduction  have 
mentioned  that  fact?  Mattie  thought,  her  cheeks  burning 
scarlet ;  or  why  need  she  afterwards  speak  of  her  as  'Tilda, 
who  wae  kind  enough  to  come  with  her  to  the  office  where 


228  The  Cameron  Pride. 

she  hoped  to  find  Wilford?  Poor  Mattie,  she  knew  some 
things  very  well,  but  she  had  never  yet  conceived  of  the 
immeasurable  distance  between  herself  and  Mark  Bay,  who 
cared  but  little  whether  her  home  were  on  the  Bowery  or 
on  Murray  Hill,  after  the  first  sight  which  told  him  what 
she  was. 

"  Mr.  Cameron  has  just  left  the  office  and  will  not  re 
turn  to-day,"  he  said  to  Aunt  Betsy,  asking  if  lie  could 
assist  her  in  any  way,  and  assuring  her  of  his  willingness 
to  do  so. 

Aunt  Betsy  could  talk  with  him  better  than  with  Wil 
ford,  and  was  about  to  give  him  the  story  of  the  sheep- 
pasture,  in  detail,  when,  motioning  to  a  side  door,  he  said, 
"  Walk  in  here,  please.  You  will  not  be  liable  to  so 
many  interruptions." 

"  Come,  'Tilda,  it's  no  privacy,"  Aunt  Betsy  said ;  but 
'Tilda  felt  intuitively  that  she  was  not  wanted,  and  rather 
haughtily  declined,  amusing  herself  by  the  window,  while 
Aunt  Betsy  in  the  private  office  told  her  troubles  to  Mark 
Bay;  and  received  in  return  the  advice  to  let  the  claim 
ant  go  to  law  if  he  chose ;  he  probably  would  make  nothing 
by  it;  even  if  he  did,  she  would  not  sustain  a  heavy 
loss,  according  to  her  own  statement  *  of  the  value  of  the 
land. 

"  If  I  could  keep  the  sweet  apple-try,  I  wouldn't  care," 
Aunt  Betsy  said,  "  for  the  rest  ain't  worth  a  law-suit ; 
though  it's  my  property,  and  I  have  thought  of  willing  it 
to  Helen,  if  she  ever  marries." 

Here  was  a  temptation  which  Mark  Bay  could  not  re 
sist.  Ever  since  Mrs.  General  Beynolds's  party  Helen's 
manner  had  puzzled  him;  but  her  shyness  only  made  him 
more  in  love  than  ever,  while  the  rumor  of  her  engage 
ment  with  Dr.  Morris  tormented  him  continually.  Some 
times  he  believed  it,  and  sometimes  he  did  not,  wishing  al 
ways  that  he  knew  for  certain.  Here  then  was  a  chance 
for  confirming  his  fears  or  for  putting  them  at  rest,  and 
blessing  'Tilda  Tubbs  for  declining  to  enter  his  back  office, 
he  said  in  reply  to  Aunt  Betsy's  "  If  she  ever  marries  " — 
"  And  of  course  she  will.  She  is  engaged,  I  believe?  " 

"  Engaged  !  Who  to  ?  When  ?  Strange  she  never  writ, 
nor  Katy  neither,"  Aunt  Betsy  exclaimed,  while  Mark, 


The  Cameron  Pride.  229 

raised  to  an  ecstatic  state,  replied,  "  I  refer  to  Dr.  Grant. 
Haven't  they  been  engaged  for  a  long  time  past  ?  " 

"  Why — no — indeed,"  was  the  response,  and  Mark  could 
have  hugged  the  good  old  lady,  who  continued  in  a  con 
fidential  tone,  "  I  used  to  think  they'd  make  a  good  match ; 
but  I've  gin  that  up,  and  I  sometimes  mistrust  'twas  Katy 
Morris  wanted.  Anyhow;  he's  mighty  changed  since  she 
was  married,  and  he  never  speaks  her  name.  I  never  heard 
anybody  say  so,  and  maybe  it's  all  a  fancy,  so  you  won't 
mention  it." 

"  Certainly  not/'  Mark  replied,  drawing  nearer  to  her, 
and  continuing  in  a  low  tone,  "  Isn't  it  possible  that  after 
all  Helen  is  engaged  to  her  cousin,  and  you  do  not  know 
it?" 

"  No,"  and  Aunt  Betsy  grew  very  positive.  "  I  am  sure 
she  ain't,  for  only  t'other  day  I  said  to  Morris  that  I 
wouldn't  wonder  if  Helen  and  another  chap  had  a  han- 
kerin'  for  one  another;  and  he  said  he  wished  it  might  be 
so,  for  you — no,  that  other  chap,  I  mean — would  make  a 
splendid  husband,"  and  Aunt  Betsy  turned  very  red  at  the 
blunder,  which  made  Mark  Ray  feel  as  if  he  walked  on 
air,  with  no  obstacle  whatever  in  his  way. 

Still  he  could  not  be  satisfied  without  probing  her  a 
little  deeper,  and  so  he  said,  "  And  that  other  chap  ?  Does 
he  live  in  Silverton  ?  " 

Aunt  Betsy's  look  was  a  sufficient  answer;  for  the  old 
lady  knew  he  was  quizzing  her,  just  as  she  felt  that  in 
some  way  she  had  removed  a  stumbling-block  from  his 
path.  She  had, — a  very  large  stumbling-block,  and  in  the 
first  flush  of  his  joy  and  gratitude  he  could  do  most  any 
thing.  So  when  she  spoke  of  going  up  to  Katy's  he  set 
himself  industriously  at  work  to  prevent  it  for  that  day  at 
least.  "  They  were  to  have  a  large  dinner  party,"  he  said, 
"  and  both  Mrs.  Cameron  and  Miss  Lennox  would  be  wholly 
occupied.  Would  it  not  be  better  to  wait  until  to-mor 
row  ?  Did  she  contemplate  a  long  stay  in  New  York  ?  " 

"  No,  she  might  go  back  to-morrow, — certainly  the  day 
after,"  Aunt  Betsy  replied,  her  voice  trembling  at  this 
fresh  impediment  thrown  in  the  way  of  her  seeing  Katy. 

The  quaver  in  her  voice  touched  Mark's  sympathy.  "  She 
was  old  and  simple-hearted.  She  was  Helen's  aunt/'  and 


^50  The  Cameron  Pride. 

this,  more  than  aught  else,  helped  him  to  a  decision.  "  She 
must  be  homesick  in  the  Bowery;  he  would  take  her  to 
his  mother's  and  keep  her  until  the  morrow,  and  perhaps 
until  she  left  for  home;  telling  Helen,  of  course,  and  then 
suffering  her  to  act  accordingly." 

This  he  proposed  to  his  client;  assuring  her  of  his 
mother's  entire  willingness  to  receive  her,  and  urging  so 
many  reasons  why  »ne  should  go  there,  instead  of  "  up  to 
Katy's,"  where  they  were  in  such  confusion,  that  Aunt 
Betsy  was  at  last  persuaded,  and  was  soon  riding  up  town 
in  a  Twenty-third  Street  stage,  with  Mark  Ray  her  vis 
a-vis,  and  Mattie  at  her  right.  Why  Mattie  was  there  Mark 
could  not  conjecture ;  and  perhaps  she  did  not  know  her 
self,  unless  it  were  that,  disappointed  in  her  call  on  Mrs. 
Cameron,  she  vaguely  hoped  for  some  redress  by  calling 
on  Mrs.  Banker.  How  then  was  she  chagrined,  when,  as 
the  stage  left  them  at  a  handsome  brownstone  front,  near 
Fifth  Avenue  Hotel,  Mark  said  to  her,  as  if  she  were  not 
of  course  expected  to  go  in,  "  Please  tell  your  mother  that 
Miss  Barlow  is  stopping  with  Mrs.  Banker  to-day.  Has 
she  baggage  at  your  house?  If  so,  we  will  send  round  for 
it  at  once.  Your  number,  please  ?  " 

His  manner  was  so  off  hand  and  yef  so  polite  that  Mattie 
could  neither  resist  him,  nor  be  angry,  though  there  was 
a  pang  of  disappointment  at  her  heart  as  she  gave  the  re 
quired  number,  and  then  shook  Aunt  Betsy's  hand,  whis 
pering  in  a  choked  voice, 

"  You'll  come  to  us  again  before  you  go  home  ?  " 

With  a  good-bye  to  Mark,  whose  bow  atoned  for  a  great 
deal,  Mattie  walked  slowly  away,  leaving  Mark  greatly  re 
lieved.  Aunt  Betsy  was  as  much  as  he  cared  to  have  on 
his  hands  at  once,  and  as  he  led  her  up  the  steps,  he  began 
to  wonder  more  and  more  what  his  mother  would  say  to 
his  bringing  that  stranger  into  her  house,  unbidden  and 
unsought. 

"  I'll  tell  her  the  truth,"  was  his  rapid  decision,  and  as 
suming  a  manner  which  warned  the  servant  who  answered 
his  ring  neither  to  be  curious  nor  impertinent,  he  con 
ducted  his  charge  into  the  parlor,  and  bringing  her  a 
chair  before  the  grate,  went  in  quest  of  his  mother,  who 
he  found  was  out. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  231 

"Kindle  a  fire  then  in  the  front  guest-chamber/'  he 
said,  "  and  see  that  it  is  made  comfortable  as  soon  as 
possible." 

The  servant  bowed  in  acquiescence,  wondering  wlw  had 
come,  and  feeling  not  a  little  surprised  at  the  description 
given  by  John  of  the  woman  he  had  let  into  the  house,  and 
who  now  in  the  parlor  was  looking  around  her  in  astonish 
ment  and  delight,  condemning  herself  for  the  feeling  of 
homesickness  with  which  she  remembered  the  Bowery,  and 
contrasting  her  "  cluttered  quarters  "  there  with  the  ele 
gance  around  her.  "  Was  Katy's  house  as  fine  as  this  ?  " 
she  asked  herself,  feeling  intuitively  that  such  as  she  might 
be  out  of  place  in  it,  just  as  she  began  to  fear  she  was  out 
of  her  place  here,  bemoaning  the  fact  that  she  had  for 
gotten  her  cap-box,  with  its  contents,  and  so  could  not  re 
move  her  bonnet,  as  she  had  nothing  with  which  to  cover 
her  gray  head. 

"  What  shall  I  do  ?  "  she  was  asking  herself,  when  Mark 
appeared,  explaining  that  his  mother  was  absent,  but  would 
be  at  home  in  a  short  time. 

"  Your  room  will  soon  be  ready/'  he  continued,  "  and 
meantime  you  might  lay  aside  your  wrappings  here  if  you 
find  them  too  warm." 

There  was  something  about  Mark  Kay  which  inspired 
confidence,  and  in  her  extremity  Aunt  Betsy  gasped,  "  I 
can't  take  off  my  bunnet  till  I  get  my  caps,  down  to  Mr. 
Tubbses.  Oh,  what  a  trouble  I  be." 

Not  exactly  comprehending  the  nature  of  the  difficulty, 
Mark  suggested  that  she  go  without  a  cap  until  he  could 
send  for  them ;  but  Aunt  Betsy's  assertion  that  "  she  was 
grayer  than  a  rat,"  enlightened  him  with  regard  to  her 
dilemma,  and  full  permission  was  given  for  her  "  to  sit  in 
her  bonnet "  until  such  time  as  a  messenger  could  go  to 
the  Bowery  and  back.  In  this  condition  she  was  better 
in  her  own  room,  and  as  it  was  in  readiness,  Mark  con 
ducted  her  to  it,  the  stern  gravity  of  his  face  putting  down 
the  laugh  which  sprang  to  the  waiting  maid's  eyes  at  the 
old  lady's  ejaculations  of  surprise  that  anything  could  be 
so  fine  as  the  house  where  she  so  unexpectedly  found  her 
self  a  guest. 

"  She  is  unaccustomed  to  the  city,  but  a  particular  friend 


232  The  Cameron  Pride. 

of  mine;  so  see  that  you  treat  her  with  respect/'  was  all 
the  explanation  he  vouchsafed  to  the  curious  girl. 

But  that  was  enough.  A  friend  of  Mr.  Bay's  must  be 
somebody,  even  if  she  sat  with  two  bonnets  on  instead  of 
one,  and  appeared  ten  times  more  rustic  than  Aunt  Betsy, 
who  breathed  freer  when  she  found  herself  alone  up  stairs, 
and  knew  her  baggage  would  soon  be  there. 

In  some  little  trepidation  Mark  paced  up  and  down  the 
parlor  waiting  for  his  mother,  who  came  ere  long,  ex 
pressing  her  surprise  to  find  him  there,  and  asking  if  any 
thing  had  happened  that  he  seemed  so  agitated. 

"  Yes,  I'm  in  a  deuced  scrape,"  he  answered,  coming 
up  to  her  with  the  saucy,  winning  smile  she  could  never 
resist,  and  continuing,  "  To  begin  at  the  foundation,  you 
know  how  much  I  am  in  love  with  Helen  Lennox  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't/'  was  the  reply,  as  Mrs.  Banker  removed 
her  fur  with  the  most  provoking  coolness.  "  How  should 
I  know  when  you  have  never  told  me  ?  " 

"  Haven't  you  eyes  ?  Can't  you  see  ?  Don't  you  like 
her  yourself?'" 

"  Yes,  very  much." 

"And  are  you  willing  she  should  be  your  daughter?" 

Mark  had  his  arm  around  his  mother's  neck,  and  bend 
ing  his  face  to  hers,,  kissed  her  playfully  as  he  asked  her  the 
last  question. 

"  Say,  mother,  are  you  willing  I  should  marry  Helen 
Lennox  ?  " 

There  was  a  struggle  in  Mrs.  Bankers  heart,  and  for  a 
moment  she  felt  jealous  of  the  girl  who  she  had  guessed 
was  dearer  to  her  son  than  ever  his  mother  could  be  again; 
but  she  was  a  sensible  woman.  She  knew  that  it  was 
natural  for  another  and  a  stronger  love  to  come  between  her 
and  her  boy.  She  liked  Helen  Lennox.  She  was  willing 
to  take  her  as  a  daughter,  and  she  said  so  at  last,  and 
listened  half  amazed  and  half  amused  to  the  story  which 
had  in  it  so  much  of  Aunt  Betsy  Barlow,  at  that  very  mo 
ment  an  occupant  of  their  best  guest-chamber,  waiting  for 
her  cap  from  the  Bowery. 

"  Perhaps  it  was  wrong  to  bring  her  home,"  he  added, 
"  but  I  did  it  to  spare  Helen.  I  knew  what  a  savage  Wil- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  233 

ford  would  be  if  he  found  her  there.  Say,  mother,  was 
I  wrong?" 

He  was  not  often  wrong  in  his  mother's  estimation,  and 
certainly  he  was  not  now,  when  he  kissed  her  so  often, 
begging  her  to  say  he  had  done  right. 

"  Certainly  he  had.  Mrs.  Banker  was  very  glad  to  find 
him  so  thoughtful;  few  young  men  would  do  as  much/' 
she  said,  and  fr  11  feeling  a  little  doubtful,  Mark  came  to 
look  upon  himself  as  a  very  nice  young  man,  who  had  done 
a  most  unselfish  act,  for  of  course  he  had  not  been  influ 
enced  by  any  desire  to  keep  Aunt  Betsy  from  the  people 
who  would  be  present  at  the  dinner,  neither  had  Helen 
been  at  all  mixed  up  in  the  affair. 

It  was  all  himself,  and  he  began  to  whistle  "Annie 
Laurie "  very  complacently,  thinking  the  while  what  a 
clever  fellow  he  was,  and  meditating  other  generous  acts 
towards  the  old  lady  overhead,  who  was  standing  by  the 
window,  and  wondering  what  the  huge  building  could  be 
gleaming  so  white  in  the  fading  sunlight. 

"  Looks  as  if  it  was  made  of  stone  cheena,"  she  thought, 
just  as  Mrs.  Banker  appeared,  her  kind,  friendly  manner 
making  Aunt  Betsy  feel  wholly  at  ease,  as  she  answered 
the  lady's  questions  or  volunteered  remarks  of  her  own. 

Mrs.  Banker  had  lived  in  the  country,  and  had  seen  just 
such  women  as  Aunt  Betsy  Barlow,  understanding  her  in 
trinsic  worth,  and  knowing  how  Helen  Lennox,  though  her 
niece,  could  still  be  refined  and  cultivated.  She  could  also 
understand  how  one  educated  as  Wilford  Cameron  had 
been,  would  shrink  from  coming  in  contact  with  her,  and 
possibly  be  rude  if  she  thrust  herself  upon  him.  Mark 
did  well  to  bring  her  here,  she  thought,  ns  she  left  the 
room  to  order  the  tea  which  the  tired  woman  so  much 
needed.  The  satchel,  umbrella,  and  cap-box,  with  a  note 
from  Mattie,  had  by  this  time  arrived,  and  in  her  Sunday 
cap,  with  the  purple  bows,  Aunt  Betsy  felt  better,  and  en 
joyed  the  tempting  little  supper,  served  on  silver  and 
Sevres  china,  the  attendant  waiting  in  the  hall  instead  of 
in  her  room,  where  her  presence  might  embarrass  one  un 
accustomed  to  such  usages.  They  were  very  kind,  and  had 
Mark  been  her  own  son  he  could  not  have  been  more  def 
erential  than  he  appeared  when  just  before  starting  for  the 


234  The  Cameron  Pride. 

dinner  he  went  up  to  see  her,  asking  what  message  he 
should  take  to  Helen.  Mrs.  Banker,  too,  came  in,  her 
dress  eliciting  many  compliments  from  her  guest,  who  ven 
tured  to  ask  the  price  of  the  diamond  pin  which  fastened 
the  point  lace  collar.  Five  hundred  dollars  seemed  an 
enormous  sum,  but  Aunt  Betsy  was  learning  not  to  say  all 
she  thought,  and  merely  remarked  that  Katy  had  some  dia 
monds  too,  which  she  presumed  cost  full  a**  much  as  that. 

"  She  should  do  very  well  alone/'  she  said ;  "  she  could 
read  her  Bible,  and  if  she  got  too  tired,  go  to  bed,"  and 
with  a  good-bye  she  sent  them  away,  after  saying  to  Mrs. 
Banker,  "  Maybe  you  ain't  the  kissin'  kind,  but  if  you  be, 
I  wish  you  would  kiss  Katy  once  for  me." 

There  was  a  merry  twinkle  in  Mark's  eyes  as  he  asked, 

"And  Helen  too?" 

"  I  meant  your  marm,  not  you,"  Aunt  Betsy  answered ; 
while  Mrs.  Banker  raised  her  hand  to  her  mischievous  son, 
who  ran  lightly  down  the  stairs,  carrying  a  happier  heart 
than  he  had  known  since  Helen  Lennox  first  came  to  New 
York,  and  he  met  her  at  the  depot. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE   DINNER   PARTY. 

IT  was  a  very  select  party  which  Wilford  Cameron  en 
tertained  that  evening;  and  as  the  carriages  rolled  to  his 
door  and  deposited  the  guests,  the  cloud  which  had  been 
lifting  ever  since  he  came  home  and  found  "  no  Barlow 
woman  "  there,  disappeared,  leaving  him  the  blandest,  most 
urbane  of  hosts,  pleased  with  everybody — himself,  his 
guests,  his  sister-in-law,  and  his  wife,  who  had  never  looked 
better  than  she  did  to-night,  in  pearls  and  light  blue  silk, 
which  harmonized  so  perfectly  with  her  wax-like  complex 
ion.  Aunt  Betsy's  proximity  was  wholly  unsuspected,  both 
by  her  and  Helen,  who  was  very  handsome,  in  crimson 
and  black,  with  lilies  in  her  hair.  Nothing  could  please 
Mark  better  than  his  seat  at  table,  where  he  could  look  into 
her  eyes,  which  dropped  so  shyly  whenever  they  met  his 
gaze.  Helen  was  beginning  to  doubt  the  story  of  his  en 
gagement  with  Juno^  Certainly  she  could  not  mistake  the 


The  Cameron  Pride.  235 

nature  of  the  attentions  he  paid  to  her,  especially  to-night, 
when  he  hovered  continually  near  her,  totally  ignoring 
Juno's  presence,  and  conscious  apparently  of  only  one  form, 
one  face,  and  that  the  face  and  form  of  Helen  Lennox. 

There  was  another,  too,  who  felt  the  influence  of  Helen's 
beauty,  and  that  was  Lieutenant  Bob,  who,  after  dinner, 
attached  himself  to  her  side,  while  around  them  gathered 
quite  a  group,  all  listening  with  peals  of  laughter  as  Bob 
related  his  adventure  of  two  days  before,  with  "  the  most 
rustic  and  charming  old  ladv  it  was  ever  his  fortune  to 
meet."  Told  by  Bob  the  story  lost  nothing  of  its  fresh 
ness;  for  every  particular,  except  indeed  the  kindness  he 
had  shown  her,  was  related,  even  to  the  sheep-pasture,  about 
which  she  was  going  to  New  York  to  consult  a  lawyer. 

"  I  thought  once  of  referring  her  to  you,  Mr.  Cameron," 
Bob  said;  "but  couldn't  find  it  in  my  heart  to  quiz  her, 
she  was  so  wholly  unsuspicious.  You  have  not  seen  her, 
have  you  ?  " 

"  No,"  came  faintly  from  the  lips  which  tried  to  smile ; 
but  Wilf ord  knew  who  was  the  heroine  of  that  story ;  won 
dering  more  and  more  where  she  was,  and  feeling  a  sensa 
tion  of  uneasiness,  as  he  thought,  "  Can  any  accident  have 
befallen  her  ?  " 

It  was  hardly  probable;  but  Wilford  felt  very  uncom 
fortable  after  hearing  the  story,  which  had  brought  a 
pang  of  doubt  and  fear  to  another  mind  than  his.  From 
the  very  first  Helen  feared  that  Aunt  Betsy  was  the  "  odd 
woman  "  who  had  gotten  upon  the  train  at  some  station 
which  Bob  could  not  remember;  while,  as  the  story  pro 
gressed,  she  was  sure  of  it,  for  she  had  heard  of  the  sheep- 
pasture  trouble,  and  of  Aunt  Betsy's  projected  visit  to  New 
York,  privately  writing  to  her  mother  not  to  suffer  it,  as 
Wilford  would  be  greatly  vexed.  "Yes,  it  must  be  Aunt 
Betsy,"  she  thought,  and  she  turned  so  white  that  Mark, 
who  was  watching  both  her  and  Wilford,  came  as  soon  as 
possible  to  her  side,  and  adroitly  separating  her  from  the 
group  around,  said  softly,  "You  look  tired,  Miss  Lennox. 
Come  with  me  a  moment.  I  have  something  to  tell  you." 

Alone  with  her  in  the  hall,  he  continued,  "I  have  the 
sequel  of  Bob  Reynolds's  story.  That  woman •" 

"  Was  Aunt  Betsy,"  Helen  gasped.     "  But  where  is  she 


236  The  Cameron  Pride. 

now  ?  That  was  two  days  ago.  Tell  me  if  you  know.  Mr. 
Eay,  you  do  know,"  and  in  an  agony  of  fear  lest  something 
dreadful  had  happened,  she  laid  her  hand  on  Mark's,  be 
seeching  him  to  tell  her  if  he  knew  where  Aunt  Betsy  was. 

It  was  worth  torturing  her  for  a  moment  to  see  the 
pleading  look  in  her  eyes,  and  feel  the  soft  touch  of  the 
hand  which  he  took  between  both  his  own,  holding  it  there 
while  he  answered  her :  "  Aunt  Betsy  is  at  my  house ; 
kidnapped  by  me  for  safe  keeping,  until  I  could  consult 
with  you.  Was  that  right?"  he  asked,  as  a  flush  came  to 
Helen's  cheek,  and  an  expression  to  her  eye  which  told 
that  his  meaning  was  understood. 

"Is  she  there  willingly?  How  did  it  happen?"  was 
Helen's  reply,  her  hand  still  in  those  of  Mark,  who,  thus 
circumstanced,  grew  very  warm  and  eloquent  with  the 
sequel  to  Bob's  story,  making  it  as  long  as  possible,  telling 
what  he  knew,  and  also  what  he  had  done. 

He  had  not  implicated  Wilford  in  any  way;  but  Helen 
read  it  all,  saying  more  to  herself  than  him,  "  And  she  was 
at  the  opera.  Wilford  must  have  seen  her,  and  that  is 
why  he  left  so  suddenly,  and  why  he  has  appeared  so  absent 
and  nervous  to-day,  as  if  expecting  something.  Excuse 
me,"  she  suddenly  added,  drawing  her  hand  away  and 
stepping  back  a  little,  "  I  forgot  that  I  was  talking  as  if 
you  knew." 

te  I  do  know  more  than  you  suppose — that  is,  I  know 
human  nature — and  I  know  Will  better  than  I  did  that 
morning  when  I  first  met  you,"  Mark  said,  glancing  at  the 
freed  hand  he  wished  so  much  to  take  again. 

But  Helen  kept  her  hands  to  herself,  and  answered  him, 

"  You  did  right  under  the  circumstances.  It  would 
have  been  unpleasant  for  us  all  had  she  happened  here 
to-night.  I  thank  you,  Mr.  Ray — you  and  your  mother, 
too — more  than  I  can  express.  I  will  see  her  early  to 
morrow  morning.  Tell  her  so,  please,  and  again  I  thank 
you." 

There  were  tears  in  Helen's  soft  brown  eyes,  and  they 
glittered  like  diamonds  as  she  looked  even  more  than  spoke 
her  thanks  to  the  young  man,  who,  for  another  look  like 
that,  would  have  driven  Aunt  Betsy  amid  the  gayest  crowd 
that  ever  frequented  the  Park,  and  sworn  she  was  his 


The  Cameron  Pride.  237 

blood  relation !  A  few  words  from  Mrs.  Banker  confirmed 
what  Mark  had  said,  and  it  was  not  strange  if  that  night 
Miss  Lennox,  usually  so  entertaining,  was  a  little  absent, 
for  her  thoughts  were  up  in  that  chamber  on  Twenty- 
third  Street,  where  Aunt  Betsy  sat  alone,  but  not  lonely, 
for  her  mind  was  very  busy  with  all  she  had  been  through 
since  leaving  Silverton,  while  something  kept  suggesting 
to  her  that  it  would  have  been  wiser  and  better  to  have 
stayed  at  home  than  to  have  ventured  where  she  was  so 
sadly  out  of  place.  This  last  came  gradually  to  Aunt 
Betsy  as  she  thought  the  matter  over,  and  remembered  Wil- 
ford  as  he  had  appeared  each  time  he  came  to  Silverton. 

"  I  ain't  like  him ;  I  ain't  like  this  Miss  Banker ;  I  ain't 
like  anybody,"  she  whispered.  "  I'm  nothin'  but  a  homely, 
old-fashioned  woman,  without  laming  without  nothin'.  I 
might  know  I  wasn't  wanted/'  and  a  rain  of  tears  fell 
over  the  wrinkled  face  as  she  uttered  this  tirade  against 
herself,  standing  before  the  long  mirror,  and  inspecting 
the  image  it  gave  back  of  a  plain,  unpolished  countrywo 
man,  not  much  resembling  Mrs.  Banker,  it  must  be  con 
fessed,  nor  much  resembling  the  gay  young  ladies  she  had 
seen  at  the  opera  the  previous  night.  "I  won't  go  near 
Katy,"  she  continued;  "it  would  only  mortify  her,  and  I 
don't  want  to  make  her  trouble.  The  poor  thing's  face 
looked  as  if  she  had  it  now,  and  I  won't  add  to  it.  I'll 
start  for  home  to-morrow.  There's  Miss  Smith,  in  Spring 
field,  will  keep  me  over  night,  and  Katy  shan't  be  bothered." 

When  this  decision  was  reached,  Aunt  Betsy  felt  a  great 
deal  better,  and  taking  the  Bible  from  the  table,  she  sat 
down  again  before  the  fire,  opening,  as  by  a  special  Provi 
dence,  to  the  chapter  where  the  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers 
of  water  are  mentioned  as  boin^  necessary  to  mankind, 
each  filling  his  appointed  place. 

"  That's  me — that's  Betsy  Barlow,"  she  whispered,  tak 
ing  off  her  glasses  to  wipe  away  the  moisture  gathering 
so  fast  upon  them.  Then  resuming  them,  she  continued, 
"  I'm  a  hewer  of  wood — a  drawer  of  water.  God  made  me 
so,  and  shall  the  clay  find  fault  with  the  potter,  for  mak 
ing  it  into  a  homely  jug?  No,  indeed;  and  I  was  a  very 
foolish  old  jug  to  think  of  sticking  myself  in  with  the 
china-ware.  But  I've  larnt  a  lesson/'  and  the  philosophic 


238  The  Cameron  Pride. 

old  woman  read  on,  feeling  comforted  to  know  that  though 
a  vessel  of  the  rudest  make,  a  paltry  jug,  as  she  called  her 
self,  the  promises  were  still  for  her  as  much  as  for  the 
finer  wares — aye,  that  there  was  more  hope  of  her  entering 
at  last  where  "the  walls  are  all  of  precious  stones  and  the 
streets  are  paved  with  gold,"  than  of  those  whose  good 
things  are  given  so  abundantly  during  their  lifetime. 

Assured,  comforted,  and  encouraged,  she  fell  asleep  at 
last,  and  when  Mrs.  Banker  returned  she  found  her  slum 
bering  quietly  in  her  chair,  the  Bible  open  on  her  lap,  and 
her  finger  upon  the  passage  referring  to  the  hewers  of  wood 
and  drawers  of  water,  as  if  that  was  the  last  thing  read. 

Next  morning,  at  a  comparatively  early  hour,  Helen 
stood  ringing  the  bell  of  Mrs.  Banker's  house.  She  had 
said  to  Katy  that  she  was  going  out,  and  could  not  tell 
just  when  she  might  return,  and  as  Katy  never  questioned 
her  acts,  while  Wilford  was  too  intent  upon  his  own  miser 
able  thoughts  as  to  "  where  Aunt  Betsy  could  be,  or  what 
had  befallen  her,"  to  heed  any  one  else,  no  inquiries  were 
made,  and  no  obstacles  put  in  the  way  of  her  going  direct 
to  Mrs.  Banker's,  where  Mark  met  her  himself,  holding 
her  cold  hand  until  he  led  her  to  the  fire  and  placed  her  in 
a  chair.  He  knew  she  would  rather  meet  her  aunt  alone, 
and  so  when  he  heard  her  step  in  the  hall  he  left  the 
room,  holding  the  door  for  Aunt  Betsy,  who  wept  like  a 
little  child  at  the  sight  of  Helen,  accusing  herself  of  be 
ing  a  fool,  who  ought  to  be  shut  up  in  an  insane  asylum, 
but  persisting  in  saying  she  was  going  home  that  very 
day  without  seeing  Katy  at  all.  "  If  she  was  here  I'd  like 
it,  but  I  shan't  go  there,  for  I  know  Wilford  don't  want 
me."  Then  she  told  Helen  all  she  did  not  already  know 
of  her  trip  to  New  York,  her  visit  to  the  opera,  her  stay 
ing  with  the  Tubbses  and  her  meeting  with  Mark,  the  best 
young  chap  she  ever  saw,  not  even  excepting  Morris.  "  If 
he  was  my  own  son  he  couldn't  be  kinder,"  she  added,  "  and 
I  mistrust  he  hopes  to  be  my  nephew.  You  can't  do  better ; 
and,  if  he  offers,  take  him." 

Helen's  cheeks  were  crimson  as  she  waived  this  part  of 
the  conversation,  and  wished  aloud  that  she  had  come 
around  in  the  carriage,  as  she  could  thus  have  taken  Aunt 
Betsy  over  the  city  before  the  train  would  leave. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  239 

"Mark  spoke  of  that  when  he  heard  I  was  going  to 
day/*  Aunt  Betsy  said ;  "  I'll  warrant  you  he'll  attend  to 
it." 

Aunt  Betsy  was  right,  for  when  Mark  and  his  mother 
joined  their  guests,  and  learned  that  Aunt  Betsy's  intention 
was  unchanged,  he  suggested  the  ride,  and  offered  the  use 
of  their  carriage.  Helen  did  not  decline  the  offer,  and  ere 
a  half  hour  had  passed,  Aunt  Betsy,  with  her  satchel,  um 
brella,  and  cap-box,  was  comfortably  adjusted  in  Mrs.  Ban 
ker's  carriage  with  Helen  beside  her,  while  Mark  bade  his 
coachman  drive  wherever  Miss  Lennox  wished  to  go,  taking 
care  to  reach  the  train  in  time. 

They  were  tearful  thanks  which  Aunt  Betsy  gave  to  her 
kind  friends  as  she  was  driven  away  to  the  Bowery  to  say 
good-bye,  lest  the  Tubbses  should  "  think  her  suddenly 
stuck  up." 

"  Would  you  mind  taking  'Tilda  in  ?  It  would  please  her 
mightily,"  Aunt  Betsy  whispered,  as  they  were  alighting 
in  front  of  Mr.  Peter  Tubbs's;  and  as  the  result  of  this 
suggestion,  the  carriage,  when  again  it  emerged  into  Broad 
way,  held  Mattie  Tubbs,  prouder  than  she  had  been  in  all 
her  life  before,  while  the  gratified  mother  at  home  felt 
amply  repaid  for  all  the  trouble  her  visitor  had  made  her. 

And  Helen  enjoyed  it,  too,  finding  Mattie  a  little  insipid 
and  tiresome,  but  feeling  happy  in  the  consciousness  that 
she  was  making  others  happy.  It  was  a  long  drive  they 
took,  and  Aunt  Betsy  saw  so  much  that  her  brain  grew 
giddy,  and  she  was  glad  when  they  started  for  the  depot, 
taking  Madison  Square  on  the  way,  and  passing  Katy's 
house. 

"  I  dare  say  it's  all  grand  and  smart,"  Aunt  Betsy  said, 
as  she  leaned  out  to  look  at  it,  "but  I  feel  best  at  hum, 
where  they  are  used  to  me." 

And  her  face  did  wear  a  brighter  look,  when  finally 
seated  in  the  cars,  than  it  had  before  since  she  left  Silver- 
ton. 

"  You'll  be  home  in  April,  and  maybe  Katy'll  come 
too,"  she  whispered  as  she  kissed  Helen  good-bye,  and  shook 
hands  with  Mattie  Tubbs,  charging  her  again  never  to  let 
the  folks  in  Silverton  know  that  "  Betsy  Barlow  had  been 
seen  at  a  play-house." 


240  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Slowly  the  cars  moved  away,  and  Helen  was  driven  home, 
leaving  Mattie  alone  in  her  glory  as  she  rolled  down  the 
Bowery,  enjoying  the  eclat  of  her  position,  but  feeling  a 
little  chagrined  at  not  meeting  a  single  acquaintance  by 
whom  to  be  envied  and  admired. 

Katy  did  not  ask  where  Helen  had  been,  for  she  was 
wholly  absorbed  in  Marian  Hazclton's  letter,  telling  how 
fast  the  baby  improved,  how  pretty  it  was  growing,  and 
how  fond  both  she  and  Mrs.  Hubbell  were  of  it,  loving  it 
almost  as  well  as  if  it  were  their  own. 

"  I  know  now  it  was  best  for  it  to  go,  but  it  was  hard 
at  first,"  Katy  said,  putting  the  letter  away,  and  sighing 
wearily  as  she  missed  the  clasp  of  the  little  arms  and  touch 
of  the  baby  lips. 

Several  times  Helen  was  tempted  to  tell  her  of  Aunt 
Betsy's  visit,  but  decided  finally  not  to  do  so,  and  Katy 
never  knew  what  it  was  which  for  many  days  made  Wil- 
ford  so  nervous  and  uneasy,  starting  at  every  sudden  ring, 
going  often  to  the  window,  and  looking  out  into  the  street 
as  if  expecting  some  one,  while  he  grew  strangely  anxious 
for  news  from  Silverton,  asking  when  Katy  had  heard 
from  home,  and  why  she  did  not  write.  One  there  was, 
however,  who  knew,  and  who  enjoyed  watching  Wilford, 
and  guessing  just  how  his  anxiety  grew  as  day  after  day 
went  by ;  and  she  neither  came  nor  was  heard  from  in  any 
way,  for  Helen  did  not  show  the  letter  apprising  her  of 
Aunt  Betsy's  safe  arrival  home,  and  so  all  in  Wilford's 
mind  wras  vague  conjecture. 

She  had  been  in  New  York,  as  was  proven  by  Bob  Key- 
nolds,  but  where  was  she  now,  and  who  were  those  people 
with  her?  Had  they  entrapped  her  into  some  snare,  and 
possibly  murdered  her?  Such  things  were  not  of  rare  oc 
currence,  and  Wilford  actually  grew  thin  with  the  uncer 
tainty  which  hung  over  the  fate  of  one  whom  in  his  present 
state  of  mind  he  would  have  warmly  welcomed  to  his  fire 
side,  had  there  been  a  dozen  dinner  parties  in  progress. 
At  last,  as  he  sat  one  day  in  his  office,  with  the  same  worried 
look  on  his  face,  Mark,  who  had  been  watching  him,  said, 

"  By  the  way,  Will,  how  did  that  sheep  pasture  come  out, 
or  didn't  the  client  appear?" 

"Mark,"  and  Wilford's  voice  was  husky  with  emotion; 


The  Cameron  Pride.  241 

"  you've  stumbled  upon  the  very  thing  which  is  tormenting 
my  life  out  of  me.  Aunt  Betsy  has  never  turned  up  or 
been  heard  from  since  that  night.  For  aught  I  know  she 
was  murdered,  or  spirited  away,  and  I  am  half  distracted. 
I'd  give  a  thousand  dollars  to  know  what  has  become  of 
her/' 

"  Put  down  half  that  pile  and  I'll  tell  you/"  was  Mark's 
nonchalant  reply,  while  Wilford,  seizing  his  shoulder,  and 
compelling  him  to  look  up,  exclaimed, 

"  You  know,  then  ?  Tell  me — you  do  know.  Where  is 
she?" 

"  Safe  in  Silverton,  I  presume,"  was  the  reply,  and  then 
Mark  told  his  story,  to  which  Wilford  listened,  half  in 
credulous,  half  indignant,  and  a  good  deal  relieved. 

"  You  are  a  splendid  fellow,  Mark,  though  I  must  say 
you  meddled,  but  I  know  you  did  not  do  it  unselfishly. 
Perhaps  with  Katy  not  won  I  might  do  the  same.  Yes? 
on  the  whole,  I  thank  you  and  Helen  for  saving  me  that 
mortification.  I  feel  like  a  new  man,  knowing  the  old 
lady  is  safe  at  home,  where  I  trust  she  will  remain.  And 
that  Tom,  who  called  here  yesterday,  asking  to  be  our 
clerk,  is  the  youth  I  saw  at  the  opera.  I  thought  his  face 
was  familiar.  Let  him  come,  of  course.  In  my  gratitude 
I  feel  like  patronizing  the  entire  Tubbs  family." 

And  so  it  was  this  flash  of  gratitude  for  a  peril  escaped 
which  procured  for  young  Tom  Tubbs  the  situation  of 
clerk  in  the  office  of  Cameron  &  Kay,  the  application  for 
such  situation  having  been  urged  by  the  ambitious  Mattie, 
who  felt  her  dignity  considerably  increased  when  she  could 
speak  of  brother  Tom  in  company  with  Messrs.  Cameron 
and  Ray. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE  SEVENTH   REGIMENT. 

DOES  the  reader  remember  the  pleasant  spring  days  when 
the  thunder  of  Fort  Sumters  bombardment  came  echoing 
up  the  Northern  hills  and  across  the  Western  prairies, 
stopping  for  a  moment  the  puleee  of  the  nation,  but  quick 
ening  them  again  with  a  mighty  power  as  from  Maine  to 


242  The  Cameron  Pride. 

California  man  after  man  arose  to  meet  the  misguided  foe 
trailing  our  honored  flag  in  the  dust  ?  Nowhere,  perhaps, 
was  the  excitement  so  great  or  the  feeling  so  strong  as  in 
New  York,  when  the  Seventh  Regiment  was  ordered  to 
Washington,  its  members  never  faltering  or  holding  back, 
but  with  a  nerving  of  the  will  and  a  putting  aside  of  self, 
preparing  to  do  their  duty.  Conspicuous  among  them  was 
Mark  Ray,  who,  laughing  at  his  mother's  fears,  kissed  her 
livid  cheek,  and  then  with  a  pang  remembered  Helen — 
wondering  how  she  would  feel,  and  thinking  the  path  to 
danger  would  be  so  much  easier  if  he  knew  that  her  prayers 
would  go  with  him,  shielding  him  from  harm  and  bringing 
him  back  again  to  the  sunshine  of  her  presence. 

And  before  he  went  Mark  must  know  this  for  certain, 
and  he  chided  himself  for  having  put  it  off  so  long.  True 
she  had  been  sick  and  confined  to  her  room  for  a  long 
while  after  Aunt  Betsy's  memorable  visit;  and  when  she 
was  able  to  go  out,  Lent  had  put  a  stop  to  her  mingling 
in  festive  scenes,  so  that  he  had  seen  but  little  of  her,  and 
had  never  met  her  alone.  But  he  would  write  that  very 
day.  She  knew,  of  course,  that  he  was  going.  She  would 
say  that  he  did  well  to  go;  and  she  would  answer  yes  to 
the  question  he  would  ask  her.  Mark  felt  sure  of  that; 
but  still  the  letter  he  wrote  was  eloquent  with  his  pleadings 
for  her  love,  while  he  confessed  his  own,  and  asked  that 
she  would  give  him  the  right  to  think  of  her  as  his  affi 
anced  bride — to  know  she  waited  for  his  return,  and  would 
crown  it  at  last  with  the  full  fruition  of  her  priceless 
love. 

"  I  meet  a  few  of  my  particular  friends  at  Mrs.  Gran- 
don's  to-night,"  he  added,  in  conclusion.  (C  Can  I  hope  to 
see  you  there,  taking  your  presence  as  a  token  that  I  may 
speak  and  tell  you  in  words  what  I  have  so  poorly 
written?" 

This  note  he  would  not  trust  to  the  post,  but  deliver 
himself,  and  thus  avoid  the  possibility  of  a  mistake,  he 
said;  and  half  an  hour  later  he  rang  the  bell  at  No.  — , 
asking  "  if  Miss  Lennox  was  at  home."  She  was ;  and  hand 
ing  the  girl  the  note,  Mark  ran  down  the  steps,  while  the 
servant  carried  the  missive  to  the  library,  where  upon  the 
table  lay  other  letters  received  that  morning,  and  as  yet 


The  Cameron  Pride.  243 

unopened;  for  Katy  was  very  busy,  and  Helen  was  dress 
ing  to  go  out  with  Juno  Cameron,  who  had  graciously 
anked  her  to  drive  with  her  and  look  at  a  picture  she  had 
set  her  heart  on  having. 

Juno  had  not  yet  appeared ;  but  Mark  was  scarcely  out 
of  sight  when  she  came  in  with  the  familiarity  of  a  sister, 
ar.J  entered  the  library  to  wait.  Carelessly  turning  the 
books  upon  the  table,  she  stumbled  upon  Mark's  letter, 
which,  through  some  defect  in  the  envelope,  had  become 
unsealed,  and  lay  with  its  edge  lifted  so  that  to  peer  at 
its  contents  was  a  very  easy  matter  had  she  been  so  dis 
posed.  But  Juno,  who  knew  the  handwriting — could  not 
at  first  bring  herself  even  to  touch  what  was  intended  for 
her  rival.  But  as  she  gazed  the  longing  grew,  until  at 
last  she  took  it  in  her  hand,  turning  it  to  the  light,  and 
tracing  distinctly  the  words,  "My  dear  Helen,"  while  a 
storm  of  pain  and  passion  swept  over  her,  mingled  with 
a  feeling  of  shame  that  she  had  let  herself  down  so 
far. 

"  It  does  not  matter  now,"  the  tempter  whispered.  "  You 
may  as  well  read  it  and  know  the  worst.  Nobody  will 
suspect  it,"  and  she  was  about  to  take  the  folded  letter 
from  the  envelope,  intending  to  replace  it  after  it  was 
read,  when  a  rapid  step  warned  her  some  one  was  com 
ing,  and  hastily  thrusting  the  letter  in  her  pocket,  she 
dropped  her  veil  to  cover  her  confusion,  and  then  con 
fronted  Helen  Lennox,  ready  for  the  drive,  and  unconscious 
of  the  wrong  which  could  not  then  be  righted. 

Juno  did  not  mean  to  keep  the  letter,  and  all  that  morn 
ing  she  was  devising  measures  for  making  restitution, 
thinking  once  to  confess  the  whole,  but  shrinking  from  that 
as  more  than  she  could  do.  As  they  were  driving  home, 
they  met  Mark  Ray ;  but  Helen,  who  chanced  to  be  looking 
in  an  opposite  direction,  did  not  see  the  earnest  look  of 
scrutiny  he  gave  her,  scarcely  heeding  Juno,  whose  voice 
trembled  as  she  spoke  of  him  to  Helen  and  his  intended 
departure.  Helen  observed  the  tremor  in  her  voice,  and 
pitied  the  girl  whose  agitation  she  fancied  arose  from  the 
fact  that  her  lover  was  so  soon  to  go  where  danger  and 
possibly  death  was  waiting.  In  Helen's  heart,  too,  there 
was  a  pang  whenever  she  remembered  Mark,  and  what  had 


244  The  Cameron  Pride. 

so  recently  passed  between  them,  raising  hopes,  which  now 
were  wholly  blasted.  For  he  was  Juno's,  she  believed,  and 
the  grief  at  his  projected  departure  was  the  cause  of  that 
young  lady's  softened  and  even  humble  demeanor,  as  she 
insisted  on  Helen's  stopping  at  her  house  for  lunch  before 
going  home. 

To  this  Helen  consented — Juno  still  revolving  in  her 
mind  how  to  return  the  letter,  which  grew  more  and  more 
a  horror  to  her.  It  was  in  her  pocket,  she  knew,  for  she 
had  felt  it  there  when,  after  lunch,  she  went  to  her  room 
for  a  fresh  handkerchief.  She  would  accompany  Helen 
home, — would  manage  to  slip  into  the  library  alone,  and 
put  it  partly  under  a  book,  so  that  it  would  appear  to  be 
hidden,  and  thus  account  for  its  not  having  been  seen 
before.  This  seemed  a  very  clever  plan,  and  with  her 
spirits  quite  elated,  Juno  drove  round  with  Helen,  finding 
no  one  in  the  parlor  below,  and  felicitating  herself  upon 
the  fact  that  Helen  left  her  alone  while  she  ran  up  to  Katy. 

"  Now  is  my  time,"  she  thought,  stealing  noiselessly  into 
the  library  and  feeling  for  the  letter. 

But  it  was  not  there,  and  no  amount  of  search,  no  shak 
ing  of  handkerchiefs,  or  turning  of  pocket  inside  out  could 
avail  to  find  it.  The  letter  was  lost>  and  in  the  utmost 
consternation  Juno  returned  to  the  parlor,  appearing  so 
abstracted  as  scarcely  to  be  civil  when  Katy  came  down  to 
see  her ;  asking  if  she  was  going  that  night  to  Sybil  Gran- 
don's,  and  talking  of  the  dreadful  war,  which  she  hoped 
would  not  be  a  war  after  all  Juno  was  too  wretched  to 
talk,  and  after  a  few  moments  she  started  for  home,  hunt 
ing  in  her  own  room  and  through  the  halls,  but  failing  in 
her  search,  and  finally  giving  it  up,  with  the  consoling 
reflection  that  were  it  found  in  the  street,  no  suspicion 
could  fasten  on  her;  and  as  fear  of  detection,  rather  than 
contrition  for  the  sin,  had  been  the  cause  of  her  distress, 
she  grew  comparatively  calm,  save  when  her  conscience 
made  itself  heard  and  admonished  confession  as  the  only 
reparation  which  was  now  in  her  power.  But  Juno  could 
not  confess,  and  all  that  day  she  was  absent-minded  and 
silent,  while  her  mother  watched  her  closely,  wondering 
what  connection,  if  any,  there  was  between  her  burning 
cheeks  and  the  letter  she  had  found  upon  the  floor  in  her 


The  Cameron  Pride.  245 

daughter's  room  just  after  she  had  left  it;  the  letter,  at 
whose  contents  she  had  glanced,  shutting  her  lips  firmly 
together,  as  he  saw  that  her  plans  had  failed,  and  finally 
putting  the  document  away,  where  there  was  less  hope  of 
it's  ever  finding  its  rightful  owner,  than  if  it  had  remained 
with  Juno.  Had  Mrs.  Cameron  supposed  that  Helen  had 
already  seen  it,  she  would  have  returned  it  at  once;  but  of 
this  she  had  her  doubts,  after  learning  that  "  Miss  Lennox 
did  not  go  up  stairs  at  all."  Juno,  then,  must  have  been 
the  delinquent;  and  the  mother  resolved  to  keep  the  letter 
till  some  inquiry  was  made  for  it  at  least. 

And  so  Helen  did  not  guess  how  anxiously  the  young 
man  was  anticipating  the  interview  at  Sybil  Graridon's, 
scarcely  doubtin^  that  she  would  be  there,  and  fancying 
just  the  expression  of  her  eyes  when  they  first  met  his. 
Alas  for  Mark,  alas  for  Helen,  that  both  should  be  so 
cruelly  deceived.  Had  the  latter  known  of  the  loving  words 
sent  from  the  true  heart  which  longed  for  some  word  of 
hers  to  lighten  the  long  march  and  beguile  the  tedious  days 
of  absence,  she  would  not  have  said  to  Katy,  when  asked 
if  she  was  going  to  Mrs.  Grandon's,  "  Oh,  no ;  please  don't 
urge  me.  I  would  so  much  rather  stay  at  home/' 

Katy  would  not  insist,  and  so  went  alone  with  Wilford 
to  the  entertainment,  given  to  a  few  young  men  who  seemed 
as  heroes  then,  when  the  full  meaning  of  that  word  had 
not  been  exemplified,  as  it  has  been  since  in  the  life  so 
cheerfully  laid  down,  and  the  heart's  blood  poured  so  freely, 
by  the  tens  of  thousands  who  have  won  a  martyr's  and  a 
hero's  name.  With  a  feeling  of  chill  despair,  Mark  listened 
while  Katy  explained  to  Mrs.  Grandon,  that  her  sister  had 
fully  intended  coming  in  the  morning,  but  had  suddenly 
changed  her  mind  and  begged  to  be  excused. 

"  I  am  sorry,  and  so  I  am  sure  is  Mr.  Ray,"  Sybil  said, 
turning  lightly  to  Mark,  whose  white  face  froze  the  gay 
laugh  on  her  lips  and  made  her  try  to  shield  him  from 
observation  until  he  had  time  to  recover  himself  and  ap 
pear  as  usual. 

How  Mark  blessed  Sybil  Grandon  for  that  thoughtful 
kindness,  and  how  wildly  the  blood  throbbed  through  his 
veins  as  he  thought  "  She  would  not  come.  She  does  not 
care.  I  have  deceived  myself  in  hoping  that  she  did.,  and 


246  The  Cameron  Pride. 

now  welcome  war,  welcome  anything  which  shall  help  me 
to  forget." 

Mark  was  very  wretched,  and  his  wretchedness  showed 
itself  upon  his  face,  making  more  than  one  rally  him  for 
what  they  termed  fear,  while  they  tried  to  reassure  him 
by  saying  that  to  the  Seventh  there  could  be  no  danger 
after  Baltimore  was  safely  passed.  This  was  more  than 
Mark  could  bear,  and  at  an  early  hour  he  left  the  house, 
bidding  Katy  good-bye  in  the  hall,  and  telling  her  he 
probably  should  not  see  her  again,  as  he  would  not  have 
time  to  call. 

"  Not  call  to  say  good-bye  to  Helen,"  Katy  exclaimed. 

"  Helen  will  not  care/'  was  Mark's  reply,  as  he  hurried 
away  into  the  darkness  of  the  night,  more  welcome  in 
his  present  state  of  mind  than  the  gay  scene  he  had 
left. 

And  this  was  all  Katy  had  to  carry  Helen,  who  had  ex 
pected  to  see  Mark  once  more,  to  bless  him  as  a  sister  might 
bless  a  brother,  speaking  to  him  words  of  cheer  and  bidding 
him  go  on  to  where  duty  led.  But  he  was  not  coming,  and 
she  only  saw  him  from  the  carriage  window,  as  with  proud 
step  and  head  erect,  he  passed  with  his  regiment  through 
the  densely  crowded  streets,  where  the  loud  hurrahs  of  the 
multitude,  which  no  man  could  number,  told  how  terribly 
in  earnest  the  great  city  was,  and  how  its  heart  was  with 
that  gallant  band,  their  pet,  and  pride,  sent  forth  on  a 
mission  such  as  it  had  never  had  before.  But  Mark  did 
not  see  Helen,  and  only  his  mother's  face  as  it  looked 
when  it  said,  "  God  bless  my  boy,"  was  clear  before  his 
eyes  as  he  moved  on  through  Broadway,  and  down  Cort- 
landt  street,  until  the  ferry-boat  received  him,  and  the 
crowd  began  to  disperse. 

Now  that  Mark  was  gone,  Mrs.  Banker  turned  intuitively 
to  Helen,  finding  greater  comfort  in  her  quiet  sympathy 
than  in  the  more  wordy  condolence  offered  her  by  Juno, 
who,  as  she  heard  nothing  from  the  letter,  began  to  lose  her 
fears  of  detection,  and  even  suffer  her  friends  to  rally  her 
upon  the  absence  of  Mark  Kay,  and  the  anxiety  she  must 
feel  on  his  account.  Moments  there  were,  however,  when 
thoughts  of  the  stolen  letter  brought  a  pang,  while  Helen's 
'ace  was  a  continual  reproach,  and  she  was  glad  when,  to- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  247 

wards  the  first  of  May,  her  rival  left  New  York  for  Sil- 
verton,  where,  as  the  spring  and  summer  work  came  on, 
her  services  were  needed. 


CHAPTEE  XXIX. 

KATY  GOES  TO  SILVERTON". 

A  SUMMER  day  in  Silverton — a  soft,  bright  August  day, 
when  the  early  rare-ripes  by  the  well  were  turning  their 
red  cheeks  to  the  sun,  and  the  flowers  in  the  garden  were 
lifting  their  heads  proudly,  arid  nodding  to  each  other  as 
if  they  knew  the  secret  which  made  that  day  so  bright 
above  all  others.  Old  Whitey,  by  the  hitching-post,  was 
munching  at  his  oats  and  glancing  occasionally  at  the  cov 
ered  buggy  standing  on  the  green  sward,  fresh  and  clean 
as  water  from  the  pond  could  make  it;  the  harness,  lying 
upon  a  rock,  where  Katy  used  to  feed  the  sheep  with  salt, 
and  the  whip  standing  upright  in  its  socket,  were  waiting 
for  the  deacon,  who  was  donning  his  best  suit  of  clothes, 
even  to  a  stiff  shirt  collar  which  almost  cut  his  ears,  his 
face  shining  with  anticipations  which  he  knew  would  be 
realized.  Katy  was  really  coming  home,  and  in  proof 
thereof  there  were  behind  the  house  and  barn  piles  of  rub 
bish,  lath  and  plaster,  mouldy  paper  and  broken  bricks,  the 
tokens  and  remains  of  the  repairing  process,  which  for  so 
long  a  time  had  made  the  farm-house  a  scene  of  dire  con 
fusion,  driving  its  inmates  nearly  distracted,  except  when 
they  remembered  for  whose  sake  they  endured  so  much, 
inhaling  clouds  of  lime,  stepping  over  heaps  of  mortar, 
tearing  their  dress  skirts  on  sundry  nails  projecting  from 
every  conceivable  quarter,  and  wondering  the  while  if  the 
masons  ever  would  finish  or  the  carpenters  be  gone. 

As  a  condition  on  which  Katy  might  be  permitted  to 
come  home,  Wilford  had  stipulated  an  improvement  in  the 
interior  arrangement  of  the  house,  offering  to  bear  the  ex 
pense  even  to  the  furnishing  of  the  rooms.  To  this  the 
family  demurred  at  first,  not  liking  Wilford's  dictatorial 
manner,  nor  his  insinuation  that  their  home  was  not  good 
enough  for  his  wife.  But  Helen  turned  the  tide,  appre- 


248  The  Cameron  Pride. 

elating  Wilford's  feelings  better  than  the  others  could  do, 
and  urging  a  compliance  with  his  request. 

"  Anything  to  get  Katy  home/'  she  said,  and  so  the 
chimney  was  torn  away,  a  window  was  cut  here  and  an 
addition  made  there,  until  the  house  was  really  improved 
with  its  pleasant,  modern  parlor  and  the  large  airy  bed 
room,  with  bathing-room  attached,  the  whole  the  idea  of 
Wilford,  who  graciously  deigned  to  come  out  once  or  twice 
from  New  London,  where  he  was  spending  a  few  weeks, 
to  superintend  the  work  and  suggest  how  it  should  be  done. 

The  furniture,  too,  which  he  sent  on  from  New  York, 
was  perfect  in  its  kind,  and  suitable  in  every  respect  and 
Helen  enjoyed  the  settling  very  much,  and  when  it  was 
finished  it  was  hard  telling  which  was  the  more  pleased, 
she  or  good  Aunt  Betsy,  who,  having  confessed  in  a  general 
kind  of  way  at  a  sewing  societv,  that  she  did  go  to  a  play 
house,  and  was  not  so  very  sorry  either,  except  as  the  ex 
ample  might  do  harm,  had  nothing  to  fear  from  New 
York,  and  was  proportionably  happy.  At  least  she  would 
have  been  if  Morris  had  not  seemed  so  off,  as  she  expressed 
it,  taking  but  little  interest  in  the  preparations  and  evinc 
ing  no  pleasure  at  Katy's  expected  visit.  He  had  been 
polite  to  Wilford,  had  kept  him  at  Linwood,  taking  him 
to  and  from  the  depot,  but  even  Wilford  had  thought  him 
changed,  telling  Katy  how  very  sober  and  grave  he  had 
become,  rarely  smiling,  and  not  seeming  to  care  to  talk 
unless  it  were  about  his  profession  or  on  some  religious 
topic.  And  Morris  was  greatly  changed.  The  wound 
which  in  most  hearts  would  have  healed  by  this  time, 
had  grown  deeper  with  each  succeeding  year,  while 
from  all  he  heard  he  felt  sure  that  Katy's  marriage 
was  a  sad  mistake,  wishing  sometimes  that  he  had  spoken, 
and  so  perhaps  have  saved  her  from  the  life  in  which  she 
could  not  be  wholly  free.  "  She  would  be  happier  with 
me,"  he  had  said,  with  a  sad  smile  to  Helen,  when  she 
told  him  of  some  things  which  she  had  not  mentioned  else 
where,  and  there  were  great  tears  in  Morris's  eyes,  when 
Helen  spoke  of  Katy's  distress,  and  the  look  which  came 
into  her  face  when  baby  was  taken  away.  Times  there  were 
when  the  silent  Doctor,  living  alone  at  Linwood,  felt  that 
his  grief  was  too  great  to  bear.  But  the  deep  waters  were 


The  Cameron  Pride.  249 

always  forded  safely,  and  Morris's  faith  in  God  prevailed, 
so  that  only  a  dull  heavy  pain  remained,  with  the  con 
sciousness  that  it  was  no  sin  to  remember  Katy  as  she  was 
remembered  now.  Oh  how  he  longed  to  see  her,  and  yet 
how  he  dreaded  it,  lest  poor  weak  human  flesh  should 
prove  inadequate  to  the  sight.  But  she  was  coming  home ; 
Providence  had  ordered  that  and  he  accepted  it,  looking 
eagerly  for  the  time,  but  repressing  his  eagerness,  so  that 
not  even  Helen  suspected  how  impatient  he  was  for  the  day 
of  her  return.  Four  weeks  she  had  been  at  the  Pequot 
House  in  New  London,  occupying  a  little  cottage  and  lux 
uriating  in  the  joy  of  having  her  child  with  her  almost 
every  day.  Country  air  and  country  nursing  had  wrought 
wonders  in  the  baby,  which  had  grown  so  beautiful  and 
bright  that  it  was  no  longer  in  Wilford's  way  save  as  it 
took  too  much  of  Katy's  time,  and  made  her  care  less  for 
the  gay  crowd  at  the  hotel. 

Marian  was  working  at  her  trade,  and  never  came  to  the 
hotel  except  one  day  when  Wilford  was  in  New  York,  but 
that  day  sufficed  for  Katy  to  know  that  after  herself  it  was 
Marian  whom  baby  loved  the  best — Marian,  who  cared  for 
it  even  more  than  Mrs.  Hubbell.  And  Katy  was  glad 
to  have  it  so,  especially  after  Wilford  and  his  mother  de 
cided  that  she  must  leave  the  child  in  New  London  while 
she  made  the  visit  to  Silverton. 

Wilford  did  not  like  her  taking  so  much  care  of  it  as 
she  was  inclined  to  do.  It  had  grown  too  heavy  for  her 
to  lift;  it  was  better  with  Mrs.  Hubbell,  he  said,  and  so 
to  the  inmates  of  the  farm-house  Katy  wrote  that  baby 
was  not  coming. 

They  were  bitterly  disappointed,  for  Katy's  baby  had 
been  anticipated  quite  as  much  as  Katy  herself,  and  Aunt 
Betsy  had  brought  from  the  wood-shed  chamber  a  cradle 
which  nearly  forty  years  before  had  rocked  the  deacon's 
only  child,  the  little  boy,  who  died  just  as  he  had  learned 
to  lisp  his  mother's  name.  As  a  memento  of  those  days 
the  cradle  had  been  kept,  Katy  using  it  sometimes  for  her 
kittens  and  her  dolls,  until  she  grew  too  old  for  that,  when 
it  was  put  away  beneath  the  eaves  whence  Aunt  Betsy 
dragged  it,  scouring  it  with  soap  and  sand,  until  it  was 
white  as  snow.  But  it  would  not  be  needed,  and  with  a 


250  The  Cameron  Pride. 

sigh  the  old  lady  carried  it  back,  thinking  "things  had 
come  to  a  pretty  pass  when  a  woman  who  could  dance  and 
carouse  till  twelve  o'clock  at  night  was  too  weakly  to  take 
care  of  her  child/'  and  feeling  a  very  little  awe  of  Katy 
who  must  have  grown  so  fine  a  lady. 

But  all  this  passed  away  as  the  time  drew  near  when 
Katy  was  to  come,  and  no  one  seemed  happier  than  Aunt 
Betsy  on  the  morning  when  Uncle  Ephraim  drove  from  the 
door,  setting  old  Whitey  into  a  canter,  which,  by  the  time 
the  "  race  "  was  reached,  had  become  a  rapid  trot,  the  old 
man  holding  up  his  reins  and  looking  proudly  at  the  oat- 
fed  animal,  speeding  along  so  fast. 

He  did  not  have  long  to  wait  this  time,  for  the  train  soon 
came  rolling  across  the  meadow,  and  while  his  head  was 
turned  towards  the  car  where  he  fancied  she  might  be,  a 
pair  of  arms  was  thrown  impetuously  round  his  neck,  and 
a  little  figure,  standing  on  tiptoe,,  almost  pulled  him  down 
in  its  attempts  to  kiss  him. 

66  Uncle  Eph !  oh,  Uncle  Eph,  I've  come !  I'm  here !  " 
a  young  voice  cried ;  but  the  words  the  deacon  would  have 
spoken  were  smothered  by  the  kisses  pressed  upon  his  lips, 
kisses  which  only  came  to  an  end  when  a  voice  said  rather 
reprovingly,  "  There,  Katy,  that  will  do*  You  have  almosc 
strangled  him." 

Wilford  had  not  been  expected,  and  the  expression  of  the 
deacon's  face  was  not  a  very  cordial  greeting  to  the  young 
man  who  hastened  to  explain  that  he  was  going  directly 
on  to  Boston.  In  his  presence  the  deacon  was  not  quite 
natural,  but  he  lifted  in  his  arms  his  "little  Katy-did," 
and  looked  straight  into  her  face,  where  there  were  as  yet 
no  real  lines  of  care,  only  shadows,  which  told  that  in  some 
respects  she  was  n.ot  the  same  Katy  he  had  parted  with  two 
years  before.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  the  city  about  her 
dress  and  style;  and  the  deacon  felt  a  little  overawed  at 
first ;  but  this  wore  off  as,  on  their  way  to  the  farm-house, 
she  talked  to  him  in  her  old,  loving  manner,  and  asked 
questions  about  the  people  he  supposed  she  had  forgotten, 
nodding  to  everybody  she  met,  whether  she  knew  them  or 
not,  and  at  last,  as  the  old  house  came  in  sight,  hiding  her 
face  in  a  gush  of  happy  tears  upon  his  neck.  Scarcely 
waiting  for  old  Whitey  to  stop,  but  with  one  leap  clearing 


The  Cameron  Pride.  251 

the  wheel,  she  threw  herself  into  the  midst  of  the  women 
waiting  on  the  door  step  to  meet  her.  It  was  a  joyful 
meeting,  and  when  the  first  excitement  was  over,  Katy  in 
spected  the  improvements,  praising  them  all  and  congratu 
lating  herself  upon  the  nice  time  she  was  to  have. 

"  You  don't  know  what  a  luxury  it  is  to  feel  that  I  can 
rest,"  she  said  to  Helen. 

"  Didn't  you  rest  at  New  London  ?  "  Helen  asked. 

"  Yes,  some,"  Katy  replied;  " but  there  were  dances  every 
night,  or  sails  upon  the  bay,  and  I  had  to  go,  for  many  of 
our  friends  were  there,  and  Wilford  was  not  willing  for 
me  to  be  quiet." 

This,  then,  was  the  reason  why  Katy  came  home  so 
weary  and  pale,  and  craving  so  much  the  rest  she  had  not 
had  in  more  than  two  years.  But  she  would  get  it  now, 
and  before  the  first  dinner  was  eaten  some  of  her  old  color 
came  stealing  back  to  her  cheeks,  and  her  eyes  began  to 
dance  just  as  they  used  to  do,  while  her  merry  voice  rang 
out  in  silvery  peals  at  Aunt  Betsy's  quaint  remarks,  which 
struck  her  so  forcibly  from  not  having  heard  them  for  so 
long  a  time.  Freed  from  the  restraint  of  her  husband's 
presence,  she  came  back  at  once  to  what  she  was  when  a 
young,  careless  girl  she  sat  upon  the  door-steps  and  curled 
the  dandelion  stalks.  She  did  not  do  this  now,  for  there 
were  none  to  curl;  but  she  strung  upon  a  thread  the  deli 
cate  petals  of  the  phlox  growing  by  the  dour,  and  then 
bound  it  as  a  crown  about  the  head  of  her  P.I  •.  I  her,  who 
could  not  quite  recognize  her  Katy  in  the  elegant  Mrs. 
Wilford  Cameron,  with  rustling  silk,  and  diamonds  flash 
ing  on  her  hands  every  time  they  moved.  But  when  she 
saw  her  racing  with  the  old  brown  goat  and  its  little  kid 
out  in  the  apple  orchard,  her  head  uncovered,  rwl  her 
bright  curls  blowing  about  her  face,  the  feeling 
disappeared,  and  she  felt  that  Katy  had  indeed  come  back 
again. 

Katy  had  inquired  for  Morris  immediately  after  her  ar 
rival,  but  in  her  excitement  she  had  forgotten  him  again, 
until  tea  was  over,  when,  just  as  she  had  done  on  the  day 
of  her  return  from  Canandaigua,  she  took  her  hat  and 
started  on  the  well-worn  path  toward  Linwood.  Airily 
she  tripped  along,  her  light  plaid  silk  gleaming  through  the 


252  The  Cameron  Pride. 

deep  green  of  the  trees  and  revealing  her  coming  to  the 
tired  man  sitting  upon  a  little  rustic  seat,  beneath  a  chest 
nut  tree,  where  he  once  had  sat  with  Katy,  and  extracted  a 
cruel  sliver  from  her  hand,  kissing  the  place  to  make  it 
well  as  she  told  him  to.  She  was  a  child  then,  a  little 
girl  of  twelve,  and  he  was  twenty,  but  the  sight  of  her 
pure  face  lifted  confidingly  to  his  had  stirred  his  heart  as 
no  other  face  had  stirred  it  since,  making  him  look  for 
ward  to  a  time  when  the  hand  he  kissed  would  be  his  own, 
and  his  the  fairy  form  he  watched  so  carefully  as  it  ex 
panded  day  by  day  into  the  perfect  woman.  He  was  think 
ing  of  that  time  now,  and  how  differently  it  had  all  turned 
out,  when  he  heard  the  bounding  step  and  saw  her  coming 
toward  him,  swinging  her  hat  in  childish  abandon,  and 
warbling  a  song  she  had  learned  from  him. 

"  Morris,  oh,  Morris !  "  she  cried,  as  he  ran  eagerly  for 
ward;  "I  am  so  glad  to  see  you.  It  seems  so  nice  to  be 
with  you  once  more  here  in  the  dear  old  woods.  Don't 
get  up — please  don't  get  up/'  she  continued,  as  he  started 
to  rise. 

She  was  standing  before  him,  a  hand  on  either  side  of 
his  face,  into  which  she  was  looking  quite  as  wistfully  as 
he  was  regarding  her.  Something  she  missed  in  his  man 
ner,  which  troubled  her;  and  thinking  she  knew  what  it 
was  she  said  to  him,  "  Why  don't  you  kiss  me,  Morris  ? 
You  used  lo.  Ain't  you  glad  to  see  me?" 

"  Yes,  verv  glad/'  he  answered,  and  drawing  her  down 
beside  him,  he  kissed  her  twice,  but  so  gravely,  that  Katy 
was  not  satisfied  at  all,  and  tears  gathered  in  her  eyes  as 
she  tried  to  think  what  ailed  Morris. 

He  was  very  thin,  and  there  were  a  few  white  hairs 
about  I1  is  temples,  so  that,  though  four  years  younger  than 
her  husband,  he  seemed  to  her  much  older,  quite  grand- 
fatherly  in  fact,  and  this  accounted  for  the  liberties  she 
took,  asking  what  was  the  matter,  and  trying  to  make  him 
like  her  again,  by  assuring  him  that  she  was  not  as  vain 
and  foolish  as  he  might  suppose  from  what  Helen  had 
probably  told  him  of  her  life  since  leaving  Silverton.  "  I 
do  not  like  it  at  all/'  she  said.  "  I  am  in  it,  and  must 
conform ;  but,  oh  Morris !  you  don't  know  how  much  hap 
pier  I  should  be  if  Wilford  were  just  like  you,  and  lived 


The  Cameron  Pride.  253 

at  Linwood  instead  of  New  York.  I  should  be  so  happy 
here  with  baby  all  the  time." 

It  was  well  she  spoke  that  name,  for  Morris  could  not 
have  borne  much  more;  but  the  mention  of  her  child 
quieted  him  at  once,  so  that  he  could  calmly  tell  her  she 
was  the  same  to  him  she  always  had  been,  while  with  his 
next  breath  he  asked,  "  Where  is  your  baby,  Katy  ?  "  add 
ing  with  a  smile,  "  I  can  remember  when  you  were  a  baby, 
and  I  held  you  in  my  arms." 

"  Can  you  really  ?  "  Katy  said :  and  as  if  that  remem 
brance  made  him  older  than  the  hills,  she  nestled  her  curly 
head  against  his  shoulder,  while  she  told  him  of  her  bright- 
eyed  darling,  and  as  she  talked,  the  mother-love  which 
spread  itself  over  her  girlish  face  made  it  more  beauti 
ful  than  anything  Morris  had  ever  seen. 

"  Surely  an  angel's  countenance  cannot  be  fairer,  purer 
than  hers,"  he  thought,  as  she  talked  of  the  only  thing 
which  had  a  power  to  separate  her  from  him,  making  her 
seem  as  a  friend,  or  at  most  as  a  beloved  sister. 

A  long  time  they  talked  together,  and  the  sun  was  setting 
ere  Morris  rose,  suggesting  that  she  go  home,  as  the  night 
clew  would  soon  be  falling. 

"  And  you  are  not  as  strong  as  you  once  were,"  he  added, 
pulling  her  shawl  around  her  shoulders  with  careful  solici 
tude,  nnd  thinking  how  slender  she  had  become. 

From  the  back  parlor  Helen  saw  them  coming  up  tlie 
path,  detecting  the  changed  expression  of  Morris's  face, 
and  feeling  a  pang  of  fear  when,  as  he  left  them  after 
nine  o'clock,  she  heard  her  mother  say  that  he  had  not 
appeared  so  natural  since  Katy  went  away  as  he  had  done 
that  night.  Knowing  what  she  did,  Helen  trembled  for 
Morris,  with  this  terrible  temptation  before  him,  and  Mor 
ris  trembled  for  himself  as  he  went  back  the  lonely  path, 
and  stopped  again  beneath  the  chestnut  tree  where  he  had 
so  lately  sat  with  Katy.  There  was  a  great  fear  at  his 
heart,  and  it  found  utterance  in  words  as  kneeling  by  the 
rustic  bench  with  only  the  lonely  night  around  him  and 
the  green  boughs  over  head,  he  asked  that  he  might  be 
kept  from  sin,  both  in  thought  and  deed,  and  be  to  Katy 
Cameron  just  what  she  took  him  for,  her  friend  and  elder 
brother.  And  God,,  who  knew  the  sincerity  of  the  heart 


254  The  Cameron  Pride. 

thus  pleading  before  him,  heard  and  answered  the  prayer, 
so  that  after  that  first  night  of  trial  Morris  could  look 
on  Katy  without  a  wish  that  she  were  otherwise  than  Wil- 
ford  Cameron's  wife  and  the  mother  of  his  child.  He 
was  happier  because  of  her  being  at  the  farm-house, 
though  he  did  not  go  there  one-half  as  often  as  she  came 
to  him. 

Those  September  days  were  happy  ones  to  Katy,  who  be 
came  a  child  again — a  petted,  spoiled  child,  whom  every  one 
caressed  and  suffered  to  have  her  way.  To  T'ncle  Ephraim 
it  was  as  if  some  bright  angel  had  suddenly  dropped  into 
his  path,  and  flooded  it  with  sunshine.  He  was  so  glad 
to  have  again  his  "Katy-did,"  who  went  with  him  to  the 
fields,  waiting  patiently  till  his  work  was  done,  and  telling 
him  of  all  the  wondrous  things  she  saw  abroad,  but  speak 
ing  little  of  her  city  life.  That  was  something  she  did  not 
care  to  talk  about,  and  but  for  Wilford's  letters,  and  the 
frequent  mention  of  baby,  the  deacon  could  easily  have 
imagined  that  Katy  had  never  left  him.  But  these  were 
barriers  between  the  old  life  and  the  present;  these  were 
the  insignia  of  Mrs.  Wilford  Cameron,  who  was  watched 
and  envied  by  the  curious  Silvertonians,  and  pronounced 
charming  by  them  all.  Still  there  was  one  drawback  to 
Katy's  happiness.  She  missed  her  cfiild,  mourning  for  it 
so  much  that  her  family,  quite  as  anxious  as  herself  to  see 
it,  suggested  her  sending  for  it.  It  would  surely  take 
no  harm  with  them,  and  Marian  would  come  with  it,  if 
Mrs.  Hubbell  could  not.  To  this  plan  Katy  listened  more 
willingly  from  the  fact  that  Wilford  had  gone  West,  and 
the  greater  the  distance  between  them  the  more  she  dared 
to  do.  And  so  Marian  Hazelton  was  one  day  startled  at 
the  sudden  appearance  at  the  cottage  of  Katy,  who  had 
come  to  take  her  and  baby  to  Silverton. 

There  was  no  resisting  the  vehemence  of  Katy's  argu 
ments,  and  before  the  next  day's  sunsetting,  the  farm-house, 
usually  so  quiet  and  orderly,  had  been  turned  into  one 
general  nursery,  where  Baby  Cameron  reigned  supreme, 
screaming  with  delight  at  the  tin  ware  which  Aunt  Betsy 
brought  out,  from  the  cake-cutter  to  the  dipper,  the  little 
creature  beating  a  noisy  tattoo  upon  the  latter  with  an  iron 
spoon,  and  then  for  diversion  burying  its  fat  dimpled  hands 


The  Cameron  Pride.  255 

in  Uncle  Ephraim's  long  white  hair,  for  the  old  man  went 
down  upon  all  fours  to  do  his  great-grand-niece  homage. 

That  night  Morris  came  up,  stopping  suddenly  as  a  loud 
baby  laugh  reached  him,  even  across  the  orchard,  and  lean 
ing  for  a  moment  against  the  wall,  while  he  tried  to  pre 
pare  himself  for  the  shock  it  would  be  to  see  Katy's  child, 
and  hold  it  in  his  arms,  as  he  knew  he  must,  or  the  mother 
be  aggrieved. 

He  had  supposed  it  was  pretty,  but  he  was  not  prepared 
for  the  beautiful  little  cherub  which  in  its  short  white 
dress,  with  its  soft  curls  of  golden  brown  clustering  about 
its  head,  stood  holding  to  a  chair,  pushing  it  occasionally, 
and  venturing  now  and  then  to  take  a  step,  while  its  in 
fantile  laugh  mingled  with  the  screams  of  its  delighted 
auditors,  watching  it  with  so  much  interest. 

There  was  one  great,  bitter,  burning  pang,  and  then, 
folding  his  arms  composedly  upon  the  window  sill,  Dr. 
Grant  stood  looking  in  upon  the  occupants  of  the  room, 
whistling  at  last  to  baby,  as  he  was  accustomed  to  whistle 
to  the  children  of  his  patients. 

"  Oh,  Morris,"  Katy  cried,  "  Baby  can  almost  walk, 
Marian  has  taken  so  much  pains,  and  she  can  say  '  papa.' 
Isn't  she  a  beauty?" 

Baby  had  turned  her  head  by  this  time,  her  ear  caught 
by  the  whistle  and  her  eye  arrested  by  something  in  Morris 
which  fascinated  her  gaze.  Perhaps  she  thought  of  Wil- 
ford,  of  whom  she  had  been  very  fond,  for  she  pushed  her 
chair  towards  him  and  then  held  up  her  fat  arms  for  him 
to  take  her. 

Never  was  mother  prouder  than  Katy  during  the  first  few 
days  succeeding  baby's  arrival,  while  the  family  seemed  to 
tread  on  air,  so  swiftly  the  time  went  by  with  that  active 
little  life  in  their  midst,  stirring  them  up  so  constantly, 
putting  to  rout  all  their  rules  of  order  and  keeping  their 
house  in  a  state  of  delightful  confusion.  It  was  wonder 
ful  how  rapidly  the  child  improved  with  so  many  teachers, 
learning  to  lisp  its  mother's  name  and  taught  by  her,  at 
tempting  to  say  "  Doctor."  From  the  very  first  the  child 
took  to  Morris,  crying  after  him  whenever  he  went  away, 
and  hailing  his  arrival  with  a  crow  of  joy  and  an  eager 
attempt  to  reach  him. 


256  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"  It  was  altogether  too  forward  for  this  world/3  Aunt 
Betsy  often  said,  shaking  her  head  ominously,  but  not 
really  meaning  what  she  predicted,  even  when  for  a  few 
days  it  did  not  seem  as  bright  as  usual,  but  lay  quietly 
in  Katy's  lap,  a  blue  look  about  the  mouth  and  a 
flush  upon  its  cheeks,  which  neither  Morris  nor  Marian 
liked. 

More  accustomed  to  children  than  the  other  members  of 
the  family,  they  both  watched  it  closely,  Morris  coming 
over  twice  one  day,  and  the  last  time  he  came  re 
garding  Katy  with  a  look  as  if  he  would  fain  ward  off 
from  her  some  evil  which  he  feared. 

"  What  is  it,  Morris  ?  "  she  asked.  "  Is  baby  going  to 
be  very  sick  ?  "  and  a  great  crushing  fear  came  upon  her 
as  she  waited  for  his  answer. 

"  I  hope  not,""  he  said ;  "  I  cannot  tell  as  yet ;  the  symp 
toms  are  like  cholera  infantum,  of  which  I  have  several 
cases,  but  if  taken  in  time  I  apprehend  no  danger/' 

There  was  a  low  shriek  and  baby  opened  its  heavy  lids 
and  moaned,  while  Helen  came  at  once  to  Katy,  who  was 
holding  her  hand  upon  her  heart  as  if  the  pain  had  entered 
there.  To  Marian  it  was  no  news,  for  ever  since  the  early 
morning  she  had  suspected  the  nature  of  the  disease  steal 
ing  over  the  little  child.  All  night  the  light  burned  in 
the  farm-house,  where  there  were  anxious,  troubled  faces, 
Katy  bending  constantly  over  her  darling,  and  even  amid 
her  terrible  anxiety,  dreading  Wilford's  displeasure  when 
he  should  hear  what  she  had  done  and  its  possible  result. 
She  did  not  believe  as  yet  that  her  child  would  die;  but 
she  suffered  acutely,  watching  for  tlio  early  dawn  when 
Morris  had  said  he  would  be  there,  and  when  at  last  he 
came,  begging  of  him  to  leave  his  other  patients  and  care 
only  for  baby. 

"  Would  that  be  right?  "  Morris  asked,  and  Katy  blushed 
for  her  selfishness  when  she  heard  how  many  were  sick  and 
dying  around  them.  "I  will  spend  every  leisure  moment 
here,"  he  said,  leaving  his  directions  with  Marian  and  then 
hurrying  away  without  a  word  of  hope  for  the  child,  which 
grew  worse  so  fast  that  when  the  night  shut  down  again  it 
lay  upon  the  pillow,  its  blue  eyes  closed  and  its  head  thrown 
back,  while  its  sad  meanings  could  only  be  hushed  by 


The  Cameron  Pride.  257 

carrying  it  in  one's  arms  about  the  room,  a  task  which 
Katy  could  not  do. 

She  had  tried  it  at  first,  refusing  all  their  offers  with 
the  reply,  "  Baby  is  mine,  and  shall  I  not  carry  her  ?  " 

But  the  feeble  strength  gave  out,  the  limbs  began  to 
totter,  and  staggering  backward  she  cried,  "  Somebody  must 
take  her." 

It  was  Marian  who  went  forward,  Marian,  whose  face 
was  a  puzzle  as  she  took  tht  infant  in  her  stronger  arms, 
her  stony  eyes,  which  had  not  wept  as  yet,  fastening  them 
selves  upon  the  face  of  Wilford  Cameron's  child  with  a 
look  which  seemed  to  say,  "  Eetribution,  retribution." 

But  only  when  she  remembered  the  father,  now  so  proud 
of  his  daughter,  was  that  word  in  her  heart.  She  could 
not  harbor  it  when  she  glanced  at  the  mother,  and  her 
lips  moved  in  earnest  prayer  that,  if  possible,  God  would 
not  leave  her  so  desolate.  An  hour  later  and  Morris  came, 
relieving  Marian  of  her  burden,  which  he  carried  in  his  own 
arms,  while  he  strove  to  comfort  Katy,  who,  crouching  by 
the  empty  crib,  was  sitting  motionless  in  a  kind  of  dumb 
despair,  all  hope  crushed  out  by  his  answer  to  her  en 
treaties  that  he  would  tell  her  the  truth,  and  keep  nothing 
back. 

"  I  think  your  baby  will  die,"  he  said  to  her  very  gently, 
pausing  a  moment  in  awe  of  the  white  face,  whose  expres 
sion  terrified  him,  it  was  so  full  of  agony. 

Bowing  her  head  upon  her  hands,  poor  Katy  whispered 
sadly,  "  God  must  not  take  my  baby.  Oh,  Morris,  pray 
that  he  will  not.  He  will  hear  and  answer  you;  I  have 
been  so  bad  I  cannot  pray,  but  I  am  not  going  to  be  bad 
again.  If  he  will  let  me  keep  my  darling  I  will  begin  a 
new  life.  I  will  try  to  serve  him.  Dear  Lord,  hear  and 
answer,  and  not  let  baby  die." 

She  was  praying  herself  now,  and  Morris's  broad  chest 
laenved  as  he  glanced  at  her  kneeling  figure,  and  then  at 
the  death-like  face  upon  the  pillow,  with  the  pinched  look 
about  the  nose  and  lips,  which  to  his  practiced  eye  was  a 
harbinger  of  death. 

"  It's  father  should  be  here,"  he  thought,  and  when  Katy 
lifted  up  her  head  again  he  asked  if  she  was  sure  her  hus 
band  had  not  yet  returned  from  Minnesota. 


258  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"Yes,  sure — that  is,  I  think  he  has  not/''  was  Katy's 
answer,  a  chill  creeping  over  her  at  the  thought  of  meeting 
Wilford,  and  giving  him  his  daughter  dead. 

"  I  shall  telegraph  in  the  morning  at  all  events/'  Morris 
continued,  <f  and  if  he  is  not  in  New  York,  it  will  be  for 
warded." 

"  Yes,  that  will  be  best,"  was  the  reply,  spoken  so  mourn 
fully  that  Morris  stopped  in  front  of  Katy,  and  tried  to 
reason  with  her. 

But  Katy  would  not  listen,  and  only  answered  that  Tie 
did  not  know,  he  could  not  feel,  he  never  had  been  tried. 

"  Perhaps  not,"  Morris  said ;  "  but  Heaven  is  my  wit 
ness,  Katy,  that  if  I  could  save  you  this  pain  bv  giving  up 
my  life  for  baby's  I  would  do  it  willingly;  but  God  does 
not  give  us  our  choice.  He  knoweth  what  is  best,  and  baby 
is  better  with  Him  than  us." 

For  a  moment  Katy  was  silent ;  then,  as  a  new  idea  took 
possession  of  her  mind,  she  sprang  to  Morris's  side  and 
seizing  his  arm,  demanded,  "  Can  an  unbaptized  child  be 
saved  ? " 

"  We  nowhere  read  that  baptism  is  a  saving  ordinance," 
was  Morris's  answer;  while  Katy  continued,  "but  do  you 
believe  they  will  be  saved  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  was  the  decided  response,  which,  however, 
did  not  ease  Katy's  mind,  and  she  moaned  on,  "  A  child  of 
heathen  parents  may,  but  7  knew  better.  I  knew  it  was 
my  duty  to  give  the  child  to  God,  and  for  a  foolish  fancy 
withheld  the  gift  until  it  is  too  late,  and  God  will  take  it 
without  the  mark  upon  its  forehead,  the  water  on  its  brow. 
Oh,  baby,  baby,  if  she  should  be  lost — no  name,  no  mark, 
no  baptismal  sign/' 

"Not  water,  but  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  from  all 
sin,"  Morris  said,  "and  as  sure  as  he  died  so  sure  this 
little  one  is  safe.  Besides,  there  may  be  time  for  the  bap 
tism  yet — that  is,  to-morrow.  Babv  will  not  die  to-night, 
and  if  you  like,  it  still  shall  have  a  name." 

Eagerly  Katy  seized  upon  that  idea,  thinking  more  of  the 
sign,  the  water,  than  the  name,  which  scarcely  occupied 
her  thoughts  at  all.  It  did  not  matter  what  the  child  was 
called,  so  that  it  became  one  of  the  little  ones  in  glory,  and 
with  a  calmer,  quieter  demeanor  than  she  had  shown  that 


The  Cameron  Pride.  259 

day,  she  saw  Morris  depart  at  a  late  hour ;  and  then  turning 
to  the  child  which  Uncle  Ephraim  was  holding,  kissed  it 
lovingly,  whispering  as  she  did  so,  "Baby  shall  be  bap 
tized — baby  shall  have  the  sign." 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

LITTLE   GENEVRA. 

MORRIS  had  telegraphed  to  New  York,  receiving  in  reply 
that  Wilford  was  hourly  expected  home,  and  would  at  once 
hasten  on  to  Silverton.  The  clergyman,  Mr.  Kelly,  had 
also  been  seen,  but  owing  to  a  funeral  which  would  take 
him  out  of  town,  he  could  not  be  at  the  farm-house  until 
five  in  the  afternoon,  when,  if  the  child  still  lived,  he 
would  be  glad  to  officiate  as  requested.  All  this  Morris 
had  communicated  to  Katy,  who  listened  in  a  kind  of 
stupor,  gasping  for  breath,  when  she  heard  that  Wilford 
would  soon  be  there,  and  moaning  "  that  will  be  too  late," 
when  told  that  the  baptism  could  not  take  place  till  night. 
Then  kneeling  by  the  crib  where  the  child  was  lying,  she 
fastened  her  great,  sad  blue  eyes  upon  the  pallid  face  with 
an  earnestness  as  if  thus  she  would  hold  till  nightfall  the 
life  flickering  so  faintly  and  seeming  so  nearly  finished. 
The  wailings  had  ceased,  and  they  no  longer  carried  it  in 
their  arms,  but  had  placed  it  in  its  crib,  where  it  lay  per 
fectly  still,  save  as  its  eyes  occasionally  unclosed  and  turned 
wistfully  towards  the  cups,  where  it  knew  was  something 
which  quenched  its  raging  thirst.  Once  indeed,  as  the 
hours  crept  on  to  noon  and  Katy  bent  over  it  so  that  her 
curls  swept  its  face,  it  seemed  to  know  her,  and  the  little 
wasted  hand  was  uplifted  and  rested  on  her  check  with 
the  same  caressing  motion  it  had  been  wont  to  use  in 
health.  Then  hope  whispered  that  it  might  live,  and  with 
a  great  cry  of  joy  Katy  sob; -eel,  "  She  knows  me,  Morris — 
mother,  see ;  she  knows  me.  Maybe  she  will  live  !  " 

But  the  dull  stupor  which  succeeded  swept  all  hope  away, 
and  again  Katy  resumed  her  post,  watching  first  her  dying 
child,  and  then  the  long  hands  of  the  clock  which  crept 
on  so  slowly,  pointing  to  only  two  when  she  thought  it 


260  The  Cameron  Pride. 

must  be  five.  Would  that  hour  never  come,  or  coming, 
would  it  find  baby  there?  None  could  answer  that  last 
question — they  could  only  wait  and  pray;  and  as  they 
waited  the  warm  September  sun  neared  the  western  sky 
till  its  yellow  beams  came  stealing  through  the  window  and 
across  the  floor  to  where  Katy  sat  watching  its  onward 
progress,  and  looking  sometimes  out  upon  the  hills  where 
the  purplish  autumnal  haze  was  lying  just  as  she  once  loved 
to  see  it.  But  she  did  not  heed  it  now,  nor  care  how 
bright  the  day  with  the  flitting  shadows  dancing  on  the 
grass,  the  tall  flowers  growing  by  the  door,  and  old  Whitey 
standing  by  the  gate,  his  head  stretched  towards  the  house 
in  a  kind  of  dreamy,  listening  attitude,  as  if  he,  too,  knew 
of  the  great  sorrow  hastening  on  so  fast.  The  others  saw 
all  this,  and  it  made  their  hearts  ache  more  as  they  thought 
of  the  beautiful  little  child  going  from  their  midst  when 
they  wished  so  much  to  keep  her.  Katy  had  only  one  idea, 
and  that  was  of  the  child,  growing  very  restless  now,  and 
throwing  up  its  arms  as  if  in  pain.  It  was  striking  five, 
and  with  each  stroke  the  dying  baby  moaned,  while  Katy 
strained  her  ear  to  catch  the  sound  of  horses'  hoofs  hurry 
ing  up  the  road.  The  clergyman  had  come  and  the  in 
mates  of  the  house  gathered  round  in  silence,  while  he 
made  ready  to  receive  the  child  into  Christ's  flock. 

Mrs.  Lennox  had  questioned  Helen  about  the  name,  and 
Helen  had  answered,  "  Katy  knows,  I  presume.  It  does 
not  matter/5'  but  no  one  had  spoken  directly  to  Katy,  who 
had  scarcely  given  it  a  thought,  caring  more  for  the  rite 
she  had  deferred  so  long. 

"  He  must  hasten,"  she  said  to  Morris,  her  eyes  fixed 
upon  the  panting  child  she  had  lifted  to  her  own  lap,  and 
thus  adjured  the  clergyman  failed  to  make  the  usual  in 
quiry  concerning  the  name  he  was  to  give. 

Calm  and  white  as  a  marble  statue,  Marian  Hazelton 
glided  to  the  back  of  Katy's  chair,  and  pressing  both 
her  hands  upon  it,  leaned  over  Katy  so  that  her  eyes, 
too,  were  fixed  upon  the  little  face,  from  which  they  never 
turned  but  once,  and  that  when  the  clergyman's  voice  was 
heard  asking  for  a  name.  There  was  an  instant's  silence, 
and  Katy's  lips  began  to  move,  when  one  of  Marian's 
hands  was  laid  upon  her  head,  while  the  other  took  in 


The  Cameron  Pride.  261 

its  own  the  limp,  white  baby  fingers,  and  Marian's  yoke 
was  very  steady  in  its  tone  as  it  said,  GENEVRA." 

"  Yes,  Genevra,"  Katy  whispered,  and  the  solemn 
words  were  heard,  "  Genevra,  I  baptize  thee  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost." 

Softly  the  baptismal  waters  fell  upon  the  pale  forehead, 
and  at  their  touch  the  little  Genevra's  eyes  unclosed,  the 
waxen  fingers  withdrew  themselves  from  Marian's  grasp, 
and  again  sought  the  mother's  cheek,  resting  there  for  an 
instant;  while  a  smile  broke  around  the  baby's  lips,  which 
tried  to  say  "  Mam-rna."  Then  the  hand  fell  back,  down 
upon  Marian's,  the  soft  eyes  closed,  the  limbs  grew  rigid, 
the  shadow  of  death  grew  deeper,  and  while  the  prayer 
was  said,  and  Marian's  tears  fell  with  Katy's  upon  the 
brow  where  the  baptismal  waters  were  not  dried,  the 
angel  came,  and  when  the  prayer  was  ended,  Morris., 
who  knew  what  the  rest  did  not,  took  the  lifeless  form 
from  Katy's  lap,  and  whispered  to  her  gently,  "  Katy, 
your  baby  is  dead  !  " 

An  hour  Inter,  and  the  sweet  little  creature,  which  had 
been  a  sunbeam  in  that  house  for  a  few  happy  days,  lay 
upon  the  bed  where  Katy  said  it  must  be  laid;  its  form 
shrouded  in  the  christening  robe  which  grandma  Cameron 
had  bought,  flowers  upon  its  pillow,  flowers  upon  its 
bosom,  flowers  in  its  hands,  which  Marian  had  put  there; 
for  Marian's  was  the  mind  which  thought  of  everything 
concerning  the  dead  child;  and  Helen,  as  she  watched 
her,  wondered  at  the  mighty  love  which  showed  itself  in 
every  lineament  of  her  face,  the  blue  veins  swelling  in 
her  forehead,  her  eyes  bloodshot,  and  her  lips  shut  firmly 
together,  as  if  it  were  by  mere  strength  of  will  that  she 
kept  back  the  scalding  tears  as  she  dressed  the  little 
^Genevra.  They  spoke  of  that  name  in  the  kitchen  when 
the  first  great  shock  was  over,  and  Helen  explained  why 
it  had  been  Katy's  choice. 

It  was  Morris's  task  to  comfort  poor,  stricken  Katy, 
telling  her  of  the  blessed  Saviour  who  loved  the  little 
children  while  here  on  the  earth,  and  to  whom  her  darling 
had  surely  gone. 

"  Safe  in  His  arms,  it  would  not  come  back  if  it  could/' 
he  said,  "  and  neither  would  you  have  it." 


262  The  Cameron  Pride. 

But  Katy  was  the  mother,  the  human  love  could  not 
so  soon  submit,  but  went  out  after  the  lost  one  with  a 
piteous,  agonizing  wail. 

"  Oh,  I  want  my  baby  back.  I  know  she  is  safe,  but  I 
want  her  back.  She  was  my  life — all  I  had  to  love/' 
Katy  moaned,  rocking  to  and  fro  in  this  her  first  hour  of 
bereavement,  "  and  Wilford  will  blame  me  so  much  for 
bringing  my  baby  here  to  die.  He  will  say  it  was  my 
fault ;  and  that  I  can't  bear.  I  know  I  killed  my  baby ; 
but  I  did  not  mean  to.  I  would  give  my  life  for  hers,  if 
like  her  I  was  ready,"  and  into  Katy's  face  there  came  a 
look  of  fear  which  Morris  failed  to  understand,  not  know 
ing  Wilford  as  well  as  Katy  knew  him. 

At  nine  o'clock  next  day  there  came  a  telegram.  Wil 
ford  had  reached  New  York  and  would  be  in  Silverton 
that  afternoon,  accompanied  by  Bell.  At  this  last  Marian 
Hazelton  caught  as  an  excuse  for  what  she  intended  do 
ing.  She  could  not  remain  there  after  Wilford  came,  nor 
was  it  necessary.  Her  task  was  done,  or  would  be  when 
she  had  finished  the  wreath  and  cross  of  flowers  she  was 
making  for  the  coffin.  Laying  them  on  baby's  pillow, 
Marian  went  in  quest  of  Helen,  to  whom  she  explained 
that  as  Bell  Cameron  was  coming,  *and  the  house  would 
be  full,  she  had  decided  upon  going  to  West  Silverton,  as 
she  wished  to  see  the  old  lady  with  whom  she  once  boarded, 
and  who  had  been  so  kind  to  her. 

"  I  might  stay,"  she  added,  as  Helen  began  to  pro 
test,  "but  you  do  not  need  me.  I  have  done  all 
I  can,  and  would  rather  go  where  I  can  be  quiet  for  a 
little/' 

To  this  last  argument  there  could  be  no  demur,  and 
so  the  same  carriage  which  at  ten  o'clock  went  for  Wil 
ford  Cameron  carried  Marian  Hazleton  to  the  village 
where  she  preferred  being  left. 


In  much  anxiety  and  distress  Wilford  Cameron  read 
the  telegram  announcing  baby's  illness. 

"  At  Silverton !  "  he  said.  "  How  can  that  be  when 
the  child  was  at  New  London  ? "  and  he  glanced  again 
at  the  words: 


The  Cameron  Pride.  263 

"  Your  child  is  dying  at  Silverton.  Come  at  once. 
M.  GRANT" 

There  could  be  no  mistake,  and  Wilford's  face  grew 
dark,  for  he  guessed  the  truth,  censuring  Katy  much, 
but  censuring  her  family  more.  They  of  course  had 
encouraged  her  in  the  plan  of  taking  her  child  from  New 
London,  where  it  was  doing  so  well,  and  this  was  the 
result.  Wilford  was  proud  of  his  daughter  now,  and 
during  the  few  weeks  he  had  been  with  it,  the  little  thing 
had  found  a  strong  place  in  his  love.  Many  times  he 
had  thought  of  it  during  his  journey  West,  indulging 
in  bright  anticipations  of  the  coming  winter,  when  he 
would  have  it  home  again.  It  would  not  be  in  his  way 
now.  On  the  contrary,  it  would  add  much  to  his  luxu 
rious  home,  and  the  young  father's  heart  bounded  with 
thoughts  of  the  beautiful  baby  as  he  had  last  seen  it, 
crowing  its  good-bye  to  him  and  trying  to  lisp  his  name, 
its  sweet  voice  haunting  him  for  weeks,  and  making  him 
a  softer,  better  man,  who  did  not  frown  impatiently  upon 
the  little  children  in  the  cars,  but  who  took  notice  of  them 
all,  even  laying  his  hand  once  on  a  little  curly  head  which 
reminded  him  of  baby's. 

Alas  for  him !  he  little  dreamed  of  the  great  shock  in 
store  for  him.  The  child  was  undoubtedly  very  sick, 
he  said,  but  that  it  could  die  was  not  possible;  and  so,, 
though  he  made  ready  to  hasten  to  it,  he  did  not  with 
hold  his  opinion  of  the  rashness  which  had  brought  it 
to  such  peril. 

"Had  Katy  obeyed  me  it  would  not  have  happened/' 
he  said,  pacing  up  and  down  the  parlor  and  preparing 
to  say  more,  when  Bell  came  to  Katy's  aid,  and  lighting 
upon  him,  asked  what  he  meant  by  blaming  his  wife  so 
much. 

"  For  my  part/'  she  said,  "  I  think  there  has  been  too 
much  fault-finding  and  dictation  from  the  very  day  of 
the  child's  birth  till  now,  and  if  God  takes  it,  I  shall 
think  it  a  judgment  upon  you.  First  you  were  vexed 
with  Katy  because  it  was  not  a  boy,  as  if  she  were  to 
blame;  then  you  did  not  like  it  because  it  was  not  more 
promising  and  fair;  next  it  was  in  your  way,  and  so  you 


264  The  Cameron  Pride. 

•.sent  it  off,  never  considering  Katy  any  more  than  if  she 
were  a  mere  automaton.  Then  you  must  needs  forbid 
.her  taking  it  home  to  her  own  family,  as  if  they  had  no 
interest  in  it.  I  tell  you,  Will,  it  is  not  all  Cameron — 
there  is  some  Barlow  blood  in  its  veins — Aunt  Betsy 
Barlow's,  too,  and  you  cannot  wash  it  out.  Katy  had  a 
right  to  take  her  own  child  where  she  pleased,  and  you 
are  not  a  man  if  you  censure  her  for  it,  as  I  see  in  your 
eyes  you  mean  to  do.  Suppose  it  had  stayed  in  New 
London  and  been  struck  with  lightning — you  would 
have  been  to  blame,  of  course,  according  to  your  own 
view  of  things." 

There  was  too  much  truth  in  Bell's  remarks  for  Wilford 
to  retort,  even  had  he  been  disposed,  and  ke  contented 
himself  with  a  haughty  toss  of  his  head  as  she  left  the 
room  to  get  herself  in  readiness  for  the  journey  she  insisted 
upon  taking.  Wilford  was  glad  she  was  going,  as  her 
presence  at  Silverton  would  relieve  him  of  the  awkward 
embarrassment  he  always  felt  when  there;  and  magnan 
imously  forgiving  her  for  the  plainness  of  her  speech,  he 
was  the  most  attentive  of  brothers  until  Silverton  was 
reached  and  he  found  Dr.  Grant  awaiting  for  him.  Some 
thing  in  his  face,  as  he  came  forwar4  to  meet  them,  startled 
bith  Wilford  and  Bell,  the  latter  of  whom  asked  quickly, 

"Is  the  baby  better?" 

"  Baby  is  dead,"  was  the  brief  reply,  and  Wilford  stag 
gered  back  against  the  door-post,  where  he  leaned  a 
moment  for  support  in  that  first  great  shock  for  which  he 
was  not  prepared. 

Upon  the  door-step  Bell  sat  down,  crying  quietly,  for 
she  had  loved  the  child,  and  she  listened  anxiously  while 
Morris  repeated  the  particulars  of  its  illness  and  then 
spoke  of  Katy's  reproaching  herself  so  bitterly  for  hav 
ing  brought  it  from  New  London.  "She  seems  entirely 
crushed,"  he  continued,  when  they  were  driving  towards 
the  farm-house.  "For  a  few  hours  I  trembled  for  her 
reason,  while  the  fear  that  you  might  reproach  her  added 
much  to  the  poignancy  of  her  grief." 

Morris  said  this  very  calmly,  as  if  it  were  not  what  he 
had  all  the  while  intended  saying,  and  his  eye  turned  to 
wards  Wilford,  whose  lips  were  compressed  with  the  emotion 


The  Cameron  Pride.  265 

he  was  trying  to  control.  It  was  Bell  who  spoke  first, 
Bell  who  said  impulsively,  "  Poor  Katy,  I  knew  she  would 
feel  so,  but  it  is  unnecessary,  for  none  but  a  savage  would 
reproach  her  now,  even  if  she  were  in  fault." 

Morris  blessed  Bell  Cameron  in  his  heart,  knowing  how- 
much  influence  her  words  would  have  upon  her  brother, 
who  brushed  away  the  first  tear  he  had  shed,  and  tried 
to  say  that  "  of  course  she  was  not  to  blame." 

They  were  in  sight  of  the  farm-house  now,  and  Bell, 
with  her  city  ideas,  was  looking  curiously  at  it,  mentally 
pronouncing  it  a  nicer,  pleasanter  place  than  she  had  sup 
posed.  It  was  very  quiet  about  the  house,  and  old 
Whitey's  neigh  as  Morris's  span  of  bays  came  up  was  the 
only  sound  which  greeted  them.  In  the  wood-shed  door 
Uncle  Ephraim  sat  smoking  his  clay  pipe  and  likening 
the  feathery  waves  which  curled  above  his  head  to  the 
little  soul  so  recently  gone  upward ;  while  by  his  side,  upon 
a  log  of  wood,  holding  a  pan  of  the  luscious  peaches 
she  was  slicing  up  for  tea,  sat  a  woman  whom  Bell  knew 
at  once  for  Aunt  Betsy  Barlow,  and  who,  pan  in  hand, 
came  forward  to  meet  her,  curtsying  very  low  when  in 
troduced  by  Morris,  and  asking  to  be  excused  from  shak 
ing  hands,  inasmuch  as  hers  were  not  fit  to  be  touched. : 
Bell's  quick  eye  took  her  in  at  a  glance,  from  her  clean 
spotted  gown  to  her  plain  muslin  cap  tied  with  a  black  rib 
bon,  put  on  that  day  with  a  view  to  mourning,  and  then 
darted  off  to  Uncle  Ephraim,  who  won  her  heart  at  once 
when  she  heard  how  his  voice  trembled  as  he  took  Wil- 
ford's  hand  and  said  so  pityingly,  so  father-like,  "  Young 
man,  this  is  a  sad  day  for  you,  and  you  have  my  sympa 
thy,  for  I  remember  well  how  my  heart  ached  when,  on 
just  such  a  day  as  this,  my  only  child  lay  dead  as  yours 
is  lying." 

Every  muscle  of  Wilford's  face  quivered,  but  he  was  toa 
proud  to  show  all  that  he  felt,  and  he  was  glad  when  Heleni 
appeared  in  the  door,  as  that  diverted  his  mind,  and? 
he  greeted  her  cordially,  stooping  down  and  kissing  her 
forehead,  a  thing  he  had  never  done  before.  But  sorrow 
is  a  great  softener,  and  Wilford  was  very  sorry,  feeling 
his  loss  more  here,  where  everything  was  so  quiet,  so  sug 
gestive  of  death. 


266  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"Where  is  Katy?"  he  asked. 

"  She  is  sleeping  for  the  first  time  since  the  baby  died. 
She  is  in  here  with  the  child.  She  will  stay  nowhere 
else/'  Helen  said,  opening  the  door  of  the  bedroom  and 
motioning  Wilford  in. 

With  hushed  breath  and  a  beating  heart,  Wilford  stepped 
across  the  threshold,  and  Helen  closed  the  door,  leaving 
Mm  alone  with  the  living  and  the  dead.  Pure  and  beauti 
ful  as  some  fair  blossom,  the  dead  child  lay  upon  the  bed, 
the  curls  of  golden  hair  clustering  about  its  head,  and  on 
its  lips  the  -mile  which  settled  there  when  it  trieJ  to  say 
"  mamma. "  Its  dimpled  hands  were  folded  upon  its  breast, 
where  lay  the  cross  of  flowers  which  Marian  Hazelton  had 
made.  There  were  flowers  upon  its  pillow,  flowers  around 
its  head,  flowers  upon  its  shroud,  flowers  everywhere, 
and  itself  the  fairest  flower  of  all,  Wilford  thought, 
as  he  stood  gazing  at  it  and  then  let  his  eye  move 
on  to  where  poor,  tired,  worn-out  Katy  had  crept  up 
so  close  beside  it  that  her  breath  touched  the  marble 
cheek  and  her  own  disordered  hair  rested  upon  the  pillow 
of  her  child.  Even  in  her  sleep  her  tears  kept  dropping 
and  the  pale  lips  quivered  in  a  grieved,  touching  way. 
Hard  indeed  would  Wilford  have* been  had  he  cherished 
one  bitter  thought  against  the  wife  so  wounded.  He 
could  not  when  he  saw  her,  but  no  one  ever  knew  just 
what  passed  through  his  mind  during  the  half  hour  he 
sat  there  beside  her,  scarcely  stirring  and  not  daring  to 
kiss  his  child  lest  he  should  awaken  her.  He  could  hear 
the  ticking  of  his  watch  and  the  beating  of  his  heart  as  he 
waited  for  the  first  sound  which  should  herald's  Katy's 
waking. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  low,  gasping  moan,  and  Katy's 
eyes  unclosed  and  rested  on  her  husband.  He  was  bend 
ing  over  her  in  an  instant,  and  her  arms  were  round  his 
neck,  while  she  said  to  him  so  sadly, 

"  Our  baby  is  dead — you've  nobody  left  but  me ;  and 
oh  !  Wilford,  you  will  not  blame  me  for  bringing  baby  here? 
I  did  not  think  she'd  die.  I'd  give  my  life  for  hers  if  that 
would  bring  her  back.  Would  you  rather  it  was  me 
lying  as  baby  lies,  and  she  here  in  your  arms?" 

"  No,  Katy/'  Wilford  answered,  and  by  his  voice  Katy 


The  Cameron  Pride.  267 

knew  that  she  was  wholly  forgiven,  crying  on  his  neck  in 
a  plaintive,  piteous  way,  while  Wilford  soothed  and  pitied 
and  caressed,  feeling  subdued  and  humbled.,  and  we  must 
confess  it,  feeling  too  how  very  good  and  generous  he 
was  to  be  thus  forbearing,  when  but  for  Katy's  act  of 
disobedience  they  might  not  now  be  childless ! 


With  a  great  gush  of  tears  Bell  Cameron  bent  over  the 
little  form,  and  then  enfolded  Katy  in  a  more  loving  em 
brace  than  she  had  ever  given  her  before;  but  whatever 
she  might  have  said  was  prevented  by  the  arrival  of  the 
coffin,  and  the  confusion  which  followed. 

Much  Wilford  regretted  that  New  York  was  so  far 
away,  for  a  city  coffin  was  more  suitable,  he  thought,  for 
a  child  of  his,  than  the  one  which  Dr.  Grant  had  ordered. 
But  that  was  really  of  less  consequence  than  the  question 
where  the  child  should  be  buried.  A  costly  monument 
at  Greenwood  was  in  accordance  with  his  ideas,  but  all 
things  indicated  a  contemplated  burial  there  in  the  country 
churchyard,  and  sorely  perplexed,  he  called  on  Bell  as 
the  only  Cameron  at  hand,  to  know  what  he  should 
do. 

"  Do  just  as  Katy  prefers,"  wras  Bell's  reply,  as  she 
led  him  to  the  coffin  and  pointed  to  the  name :  "  Little 
Genevra  Cameron,  aged  nine  months  and  twenty  days." 

"  What  is  it,  Wilford— what  is  the  matter  ?  "  she  asked, 
as  her  brother  turned  whiter  than  his  child. 

Had  "  Genevra  Lambert,  aged  22"  met  his  eye,  he 
could  not  have  been  more  startled  than  he  was;  but  soon 
rallying,  he  said  to  Morris, 

"The  child  was  baptized,  then?" 

"  Yes,  baptized  Genevra.  That  v-*as  Katy's  choice,  I 
understand,"  Morris  replied,  and  Wilford  bowed  his  head, 
wishing  the  Genevra  across  the  sea  might  know  that  his 
child  bore  her  name. 

"  Perhaps  she  does,"  he  thought,  and  his  heart  grew 
warm  with  the  fancy  that  possibly  in  that  other  world, 
whose  existence  he  never  really  doubted,  the  Genevra  he 
had  wronged  would  care  for  his  child,  if  children  there 


268  The  Cameron  Pride. 

need  care.  "  She  will  know  it  is  mine  at  least,"  he  said, 
and  with  a  thoughtful  face  he  went  in  quest  of  Katy, 
whom  he  found  sobbing  by  the  side  of  the  mourning 
garments  just  sent  in  for  her  inspection. 

Wilford  was  averse  to  black.  It  would  not  become 
Katy,  he  feared,  and  it  would  be  an  unanswerable  reason 
for  her  remaining  closely  home  for  the  entire  winter. 

"  What's  this  ? "  he  asked,  lifting  the  crape  veil  and 
dropping  it  again  with  an  impatient  gesture  as  Helen 
replied,  "  It  is  Katy's  mourning  veil." 

Contrary  to  his  expectations,  black  was  becoming  to 
Katy,  who  looked  like  a  pure  white  lily,  as,  leaning  on 
Wilford's  arm  next  day,  she  stood  by  the  grave  where 
they  were  burying  her  child. 

Wilford  had  spoken  to  her  of  Greenwood,  but  she  had 
begged  so  hard  that  he  had  given  up  that  idea,  suggest 
ing  next,  as  more  in  accordance  with  city  custom,  that 
she  remain  at  home  while  he  only  followed  to  the  grave ; 
but  from  this  Katy  recoiled  in  such  distress  that  he  gave 
that  up  too,  and  bore,  magnanimously  as  he  thought,  the 
sight  of  all  the  Barlows  standing  around  that  grave,  alike 
mourners  with  himself,  and  all  a  right  to  be  there.  Wil 
ford  felt  his  loss  deeply,  and  his  heart  ached  to  its  very 
core  as  he  heard  the  gravel  rattling  down  upon  the  coffin- 
lid  which  covered  the  beautiful  child  he  had  loved  so 
much.  But  amid  it  all  he  never  for  a  moment  forgot 
that  he  was  Wilford  Cameron,  and  infinitely  superior  to 
the  crowd  around  him — except,  indeed,  his  wife,  his  sister, 
Dr.  Grant,  and  Helen.  He  could  bear  to  see  them  sorry, 
and  feel  that  by  their  sorrow  they  honored  the  memory  of 
his  child.  But  for  the  rest — the  village  herd,  with  the 
Barlows  in  their  train — he  had  no  affinity,  and  his  manner 
was  as  haughty  and  distant  as  ever  as  he  passed  through 
their  midst  back  to  the  carriage,  which  took  him  again 
to  the  farm-house. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  269 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

AFTER  THE  FUNERAL. 

HAD  there  been  a  train  back  to  New  York  that  afternoon 
Wilford  would  most  certainly  have  suggested  going;  but 
as  there  was  none  he  passed  the  time  as  well  as  he  could, 
finding  Bell  a  great  help  to  him,  but  wondering  that  she 
could  assimilate  so  readily  with  such  people,  declaring 
herself  in  love  with  the  farm-house,  and  saying  she  should 
like  to  remain  there  for  weeks,  if  the  days  were  all  as  sunny 
as  this,  the  dahlias  as  gorgeously  bright,  and  the  peaches 
by  the  well  as  delicious  and  ripe.  To  these  the  city  girl 
took  readily,  visiting  them  the  last  thing  before  retiring, 
while  Wilford  found  her  there  when  he  arose  next  morning, 
her  dress  and  slippers  nearly  spoiled  with  the  heavy  dew, 
and  her  hands  ft-"!!,  of  the  fresh  fruit  which  Aunt  Betsy 
knocked  from  the  tree  with  a  quilting  rod;  her  dress 
pinned  around  her  waist,  and  disclosing  a  petticoat  scrupu 
lously  clean,  but  patched  and  mended  with  so  many 
different  patterns  and  colors  that  the  original  ground 
was  lost,  and  none  could  tell  whether  it  had  been  red  or 
black,  buff  or  blue.  Bei'veen  Aunt  Betsy  and  Bell  the 
most  amicable  feeling  had  existed  ever  since  the  older 
lady  had  told  the  younger  how  all  the  summer  long  she 
had  been  drying  fruit,  "thimble-berries,  blue-bries,  and 
buckle-berries "  for  the  soldiers,  and  how  she  was  now 
drying  peaches  for  Willard  Buxton — once  their  hired 
man.  These  she  should  tie  up  in  a  salt  bag,  and  put  in 
the  next  box  sent  by  the  society  of  which  she  seemed  to 
be  head  and  front,  "  kind  of  fust  directress  "  she  said,  and 
Bell  was  interested  at  once,  for  among  the  soldiers  d@wn 
by  the  Potomac  was  one  who  carried  with  him  the  whole 
of  Bell  Cameronrs  heart;  and  who  for  a  few  days  had 
tarried  at  just  such  a  dwelling  as  the  farm-house,  writ 
ing  back  to  her  so  pleasant  descriptions  of  it,  with  its 
fresh  grass  and  shadowy  trees,  that  she  had  longed  to  be 
there  too.  So  it  was  through  this  halo  of  romance  and 


270  The  Cameron  Pride. 

love  that  Bell  looked  at  the  farm-house  and  its  occupants, 
preferring  good  Aunt  Betsy  because  she  seemed  the  most 
interested  in  the  soldiers,  working  as  soon  as  breakfast 
was  over  upon  the  peaches,  and  kindly  furnishing  her 
best  check  apron,  together  with  pan  and  knife  for  Bell, 
who  offered  her  assistance,  notwithstanding  Wilford's  warn 
ing  that  the  fruit  would  stain  her  hands,  and  his  advice 
that  she  had  better  be  putting  up  her  things  for  going 
home. 

"  She  was  not  going  that  day,"  she  said,  point  blank, 
and  as  Katy  too  had  asked  to  stay  a  little  longer,  Wilford 
was  compelled  to  yield,  and  taking  his  hat  saunteied  off 
toward  Linwood;  while  Katy  went  listlessly  into  the 
kitchen,  where  Bell  Cameron  sat,  her  tongue  moving 
much  faster  than  her  hands,  which  pared  so  siowlv  and 
cut  away  so  much  of  the  juicy  pulp,  besides  making  so 
frequent  journeys  to  her  mouth,  that  Aunt  Betsy  looked 
in  alarm  at  the  rarjidly  disappearing  fruit,  wishing  to  her 
self  that  "  Miss  Camern  had  not  'listed/' 

But  Miss  Camern  had  enlisted,  and  so  had  Bob,  or 
rather  he  had  gone  to  his  duty,  and  as  she  worked,  she 
repeated  to  Helen  the  particulars  of  his  going,  telling 
how,  when  the  war  first  broke  out,  and  Sumtcr  was  bom 
barded,  Bob,  who,  from  long  association  with  Southern 
men  at  West  Point,  had  imbibed  many  of  their  ideas,  was 
very  sympathetic  with  the  rebelling  States,  gaining  the 
cognomen  of  a  secessionist,  and  once  actually  thinking  of 
casting  in  his  lot  with  that  side  rather  than  the  other. 
But  a  little  incident  saved  him,  she  said.  The  remem 
brance  of  a  queer  old  lady  whom  he  met  in  the  cars,  and 
who,  at  parting  held  her  wrinkled  hand  above  his  head 
in  benediction,  charging  him  not  to  go  against  the  flag, 
and  promising  her  prayers  for  his  safety  if  found  on  the 
side  of  the  Union. 

"  I  wish  you  could  hear  Bob  tell  the  story,  the  funny 
part  I  mean,"  she  continued,  narrating  as  well  as  she  could 
the  particulars  of  Lieutenant  Bob's  meeting  with  Aunt 
Betsy,  who,  as  the  story  progressed  and  she  recognized 
herself  in  the  queer  old  Yankee  woman,  who  shook  hands 
with  the  conductor  and  was  going  to  law  about  a  sheep 
pasture,  dropped  her  head  lower  and  lower  over  her  pan 


The  Cameron  Pride. 

of  peaches,  while  a  scarlet  flush  spread  itself  all  over  her 
thin  lace,  but  changed  to  a  grayish  white  as  Bell  concluded 
with  "Bob  says  the  memory  of  that  hand  lifted  above 
his  head  haunted  him  day  and  night,  during  the  period  of 
his  uncertainty,  and  was  at  last  the  means  of  saving  him 
from  treachery  to  his  country/' 

"  Thank  God ! "  came  involuntarily  from  Aunt  Betsy's 
quivering  lips,  and,  looking  up,  Bell  saw  the  great  tears 
running  down  her  cheeks,  tears  which  she  wiped  away 
with  her  arm,  while  she  said  faintly,  "  That  old  woman, 
who  made  a  fool  of  herself  in  the  cars,  was  me! " 

"  You,  Miss  Barlow,  you ! "  Bell  exclaimed,  forgetting 
in  her  astonishment  to  carry  to  her  mouth  the  luscious 
half  peach  she  had  intended  for  that  purpose,  and  drop 
ping  it  untasted  into  the  pan,  while  Katy,  who  had  been 
listening  with  considerable  interest,  came  quickly  forward 
saying,  "  You,  Aunt  Betsy !  when  were  you  in  New  York, 
and  why  did  I  never  know  it  ?  " 

It  could  not  be  kept  back  and,  unmindful  of  Bell,  Helen 
explained  to  Katy  as  well  as  she  could  the  circumstances 
of  Aunt  Betsy's  visit  to  New  York  the  previous  winter. 

te  And  she  never  let  me  know  it,  or  come  to  see  me,  be 
cause — because — "  Katy  hesitated,  and  looked  at  Bell, 
who  said,  pertly,  "Because  Will  is  so  abominably  proud,, 
and  would  have  made  such  a  fuss.  Don't  spoil  a  story  for 
relation's  sake,  I  beg,"  and  the  young  lady  laughed  good 
humoredly,  restoring  peace  to  all  save  Katy,  whose  face 
wore  a  troubled  look,  and  who  soon  stole  away  to  her 
mother,  whom  she  questioned  further  with  regard  to  a 
circumstance  which  seemed  so  mysterious  to  her. 

"  Miss  Barlow,"  Bell  said,  when  Katy  was  gone,  "  you 
will  forgive  me  for  repeating  that  story  as  I  did.  Of 
course  I  had  no  idea  it  was  you  of  whom  I  was  talking." 

Bell  was  very  earnest,  and  her  eyes  looked  pleadingly 
upon  Aunt  Betsy,  who  answered  her  back,  "  There's  nothing 
to  forgive.  You  only  told  the  truth.  I  did  make  an 
old  fool  of  myself,  but  if  I  helped  that  boy  to  a  right 
decision,  my  journey  did  some  good,  and  I  ain't  sorry 
now  if  I  did  go  to  the  play-house.  I  confessed  that  to 
the  sewing  circle,  and  Mrs.  Deacon  Bannister  hain't  seemed 
the  same  towards  me  since,  but  I  don't  care.  I  beat  her  on 


272  The  Cameron  Pride. 

the  election  to  first  directress  of  the  Soldier's  Aid. 
She  didn't  run  half  as  well  as  me.  That  chap — you 
call  Bob — is  he  anything  to  you.  Is  he  your  beau  ?  " 

"  It  was  Bell's  turn  now  to  blush  and  then  grow  white, 
while  Helen,  lightly  touching  the  superb  diamond  on  her 
first  finger,  said,  "  That  indicates  as  much.  When  did  it 
happen,  Bell?" 

Mrs.  Cameron  had  said  they  were  not  a  family  to  bruit 
their  affairs  abroad,  and  if  so,  Bell  was  not  like  her  family, 
for  she  answered  frankly,  "Just  before  he  went  away. 
It's  a  splendid  diamond,  isn't  it  ?  "  and  she  held  it  up  for 
Helen  to  inspect. 

The  basket  was  empty  by  this  time,  and  as  Aunt  Betsy 
went  to  fill  it  from  the  trees,  Bell  and  Helen  were  left 
alone,  and  the  former  continued  in  a  low,  sad  tone,  "  I've 
been  so  sorry  sometimes  that  I  did  not  tell  Bob  I  loved 
him,  when  he  wished  me  to  so  much." 

"  Xot  tell  him  you  loved  him !  How  then  could  you 
tell  him  yes,  as  it  appears  you  did  ?  "  Helen  asked,  and 
Bell  answered,  "  I  could  not  well  help  that ;  it  came  so 
sudden  and  he  begged  so  hard,  saying  my  promise  would 
make  him  a  better  man,  a  better  soldier  and  all  that.  It 
was  the  very  night  before  he  went,  and  so  I  said  that  out 
of  pity  and  patriotism  I  would  give  the*  promise,  and  I  did, 
but  it  seemed  too  much  for  a  woman  to  tell  a  man  all  at 
once  that  she  loved  him,  and  I  wouldn't  do  it,  but  I've 
been  sorry  since;  oh,  so  sorry,  during  the  two  days  when 
we  heard  nothing  from  him  after  that  dreadful  battle  at 
Bull  Run.  We  knew  he  was  in  it,  and  I  thought  I  should 
die  until  his  telegram  came  saying  he  was  safe.  I  did  sit 
down  then  and  commence  a  letter,  confessing  all,  but  I 
tore  it  up,  and  he  don't  know  now  just  how  I  feel." 

"  And  do  you  really  love  him  ?  "  Helen  asked,  puzzled 
by  this  strange  girl,  who  laughingly  held  up  her  soft, 
white  hand,  stained  and  blackened  with  the  juice  of  the 
fruit  she  had  been  paring,  and  said,  "  Do  you  suppose  I 
would  spoil  my  hands  like  that,  and  incur  ma  chere  mam- 
ma's  displeasure,  if  Bob  were  not  in  the  army  and  I  did 
not  care  for  him  ?  And  now  allow  me  to  catechise  you. 
Did  Mark  Ray  ever  propose  and  you  refuse  him  ?  " 

"  Never ! "  and  Helen's  face  grew  crimson,  while  Bell 


The  Cameron  Pride.  273 

continued:  "That  is  funny.  Half  our  circle  think  so, 
though  how  the  impression  was  first  given  I  do  not  know. 
Mother  told  me,  but  would  not  tell  where  she  received 
her  information.  I  heard  of  it  again  in  a  few  days,  and 
have  reason  to  believe  that  Mrs.  Banker  knows  it  too,  and 
feels  a  little  uncomfortable  that  her  son  should  be  refused 
when  she  considers  him  worthy  of  the  Empress  herself." 

Helen  was  very  white,  as  she  asked,  "And  how  with 
Mark  and  Juno  ?  " 

"Oh,  there  is  nothing  between  them,"  Bell  replied. 
"Mark  has  scarcely  called  on  us  since  he  returned  from 
Washington  with  his  regiment.  You  are  certain  you  never 
cared  for  him  ?  " 

This  was  so  abrupt,  and  Bell's  eyes  were  so  searching 
that  Helen  grew  giddy  for  a  moment,  and  grasped  the 
back  of  the  chair,  as  she  replied :  "  I  did  not  say  I  never 
cared  for  him.  I  said  he  never  proposed ;  and  that  is 
true;  he  never  did." 

"  And  if  he  had  ? "  Bell  continued,  never  taking  her 
eyes  from  Helen,  who,  had  she  been  less  agitated,  would 
have  denied  BelPs  right  to  question  her  so  closely.  Now, 
however,  she  answered  blindly,  "  I  do  not  know.  I  can 
not  tell.  I  thought  him  engaged  to  Juno." 

"  Well,  if  that  is  not  the  rarest  case  of  cross-purposes 
that  I  ever  knew,"  Bell  said,  wiping  her  hands  upon  Aunt 
Betsy's  apron,  and  preparing  to  attack  the  piled  up  basket 
just  brought  in. 

Farther  conversation  was  impossible,  and,  with  her 
mind  in  a  perfect  tempest  of  thought,  Helen  went  away, 
trying  to  decide  what  it  was  best  for  her  to  do.  Some 
one  had  spread  the  report  that  she  had  refused  Mark  Ray, 
telling  of  the  refusal  of  course,  or  how  else  could  it  have 
been  known?  and  this  accounted  for  Mrs.  Banker's  long 
continued  silence.  Since  Helen's  return  to  Silverton  Mrs. 
Banker  had  written  two  or  three  kind,  friendly  let 
ters,  which  did  her  so  much  good;  but  these  had  sud 
denly  ceased,  and  Helen's  last  remained  unanswered.  She 
saw  the  reason  now,  every  nerve  quivering  with  pain 
as  she  imagined  what  Mrs.  Banker  must  think  of  one  who 
could  make  a  refusal  public,  or  what  was  tenfold  worse, 
pretend  to  an  offer  she  never  received.  "  She  must  despise 


274  The  Cameron  Pride. 

me,  and  Mark  Ray,  too,  if  he  has  heard  of  it,"  she 
said,  resolving  one  moment  to  ask  Bell  to  explain  to  Mrs. 
Banker,  and  then  changing  her  mind  and  concluding  to 
let  matters  take  their  course,  inasmuch  as  interference 
from  her  might  he  construed  by  the  mother  into  undue 
interest  in  the  son.  "  Perhaps  Bell  will  do  it  without 
my  asking,"  she  thought,  and  this  hope  did  much  toward 
keeping  her  spirits  up  on  that  last  day  of  Katy's  stay  at 
home,  for  she  was  going  back  in  the  morning. 

They  did  not  see  Marian  Hazelton  again,  and  Katy 
wondered  at  it,  deciding  that  in  some  things  Marian  was 
very  peculiar,  while  Wilford  and  Bell  were  disappointed, 
as  both  had  a  desire  to  meet  and  converse  with  or.e  who 
had  been  so  like  a  second  mother  to  the  little  dead  Oene- 
vra.  Wilford  spoke  of  his  child  now  as  Genevra,  but  to 
Katy  it  was  Baby  still ;  and,  with  choking  sobs  and  pas 
sionate  tears,  she  bade  good-bye  to  the  little  mound 
underneath  which  it  was  lying,  and  then  went  back  to 
New  York. 


CHAPTEE  XXXII. 

THE   FIRST  WIFE.    * 

KATY  was  very  unhappy  in  her  city  home,  and  the 
world,  as  she  looked  upon  it,  seemed  utterly  cheerless. 
For  much  of  this  unhappiness  Wilford  was  himself  to 
blame.  After  the  first  few  days,  during  which  he  was  all 
kindness  and  devotion,  he  did  not  try  to  comfort  her, 
but  seemed  irritated  that  she  should  mourn  so  deeply  for 
the  child  which,  but  for  her  indiscretion,  might  have 
been  living  still.  He  did  not  like  staying  at  home,  and 
their  evenings,  when  they  were  alone,  passed  in  gloomy 
silence.  At  last  Mrs.  Cameron  brought  her  influence  to 
bear  upon  her  daughter-in-law,  trying  to  rouse  her  to 
something  like  her  olden  interest  in  the  world;  but  all 
to  no  effect,  and  matters  grew  constantly  worse,  as  Wil 
ford  thought  Katy  unreasonable  and  selfish,  while  Katy 
tried  hard  not  to  think  him  harsh  in  his  judgment  of 
her,  and  exacting  in  his  requirements.  "  Perhaps  she 
was  the  one  most  in  fault;  it  could  not  be  pleasant  for 


'iae  Cameron  Pride.  275 

him  to  see  her  so  entirely  changed  from  what  she  used  to 
be/'  she  thought,  one  morning  late  in  November,  when, 
her  husband  had  just  left  her  with  an  angry  frown  upon 
his  face  and  reproachful  words  upon  his  lips. 

Father  Cameron  and  his  daughters  were  out  of  town,, 
and  Mrs.  Cameron  had  asked  Wilford  and  Katy  to  dine 
with  her.  But  Katy  did  not  wish  to  go,  and  Wilford  had 
left  her  in  anger,  saying  "  she  could  suit  herself,  but  he 
should  go  at  all  events." 

Left  alone,  Katy  began  to  feel  that  she  had  done  wrong 
in  declining  the  invitation.  Surely  she  could  go  there, 
and  the  echo  of  the  bang  with  which  Wilford  had  closed 
the  street  door  was  still  vibrating  in  her  ear,  when  her 
resolution  began  to  give  way,  and  while  Wilford  was 
riding  moodily  down  town,  thinking  liarsh  things  against 
her,  she  was  meditating  what  she  thought  might  be  an 
agreeable  surprise.  She  would  go  round  and  meet  him 
at  dinner,  trying  to  appear  as  much  like  her  old  self  as 
she  could,  and  so  atone  for  anything  which  had  hitherto 
been  wrong  in  her  demeanor. 

Later  in  the  day  Esther  was  sent  for  to  arrange  her 
mistress's  hair,  as  she  had  not  arranged  it  since  baby 
died.  Wilford  had  been  annoyed  by  the  smooth  bands 
combed  so  plainly  back,  and  at  the  blackness  of  the  dress, 
but  now  there  was  a  change,  and  graceful  curls  fell  about 
the  face,  giving  it  the  girlish  expression  which  Wilford 
liked.  The  soberness  of  the  dark  dress  was  relieved  by 
simple  folds  of  white  crape  at  the  throat  and  wrists,  while 
the  handsome  jet  ornaments,  the  gift  of  Wilford's  father, 
added  to  the  style  and  beauty  of  the  childish  figure, 
which  had  seldom  looked  lovelier  than  when  ready  and 
waiting  for  the  carriage.  At  the  door  there  was  a  ring, 
and  Esther  brought  a  note  to  Katv,  who  read  as  follows: 

DEAR  KATY  : — I  have  been  suddenly  called  to  leave  the 
city  on  business,  which  will  probably  detain  me  for  three 
days  or  more,  and  as  I  must  go  on  the  night  train,  I  wish 
Esther  to  have  my  portmanteau  ready  with  whatever  I  may 
need  for  the  journey.  As  I  proposed  this  morning,  I  shall 
dine  with  mother,  but  come  home  immediately  after  dinner. 

W.  CAMERON. 


276  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Katy  was  glad  now  that  she  had  decided  to  meet  him 
at  his  mother's,,  as  the  knowing  she  had  pleased  him 
would  make  the  time  of  his  absence  more  endurable,  and 
after  seeing  that  everything  was  ready  for  him  she  stepped 
with  a  comparatively  light  heart  into  her  carriage,  and 
was  driven  to  No. — Fifth  Avenue. 

Mrs.  Cameron  was  out,  the  servant  said,  but  was  ex 
pected  every  minute  with  Mr.  Wilford. 

"  Never  mind/'  Katy  answered ;  "  I  want  to  surprise 
them,  so  please  don't  tell  them  I  am  here  when  you  let 
them  in,"  and  going  into  the  library  she  sat  down  before 
the  grate,  waiting  rather  impatiently  until  the  door-bell 
rang  and  she  heard  both  Wilford's  and  Mrs.  Cameron's 
voices  in  the  hall. 

Contrary  to  her  expectations,  they  did  not  come  into 
the  library,  but  went  into  the  parlor,  the  door  of  which 
was  partially  ajar,  so  that  every  word  they  said  could  be 
distinctly  heard  where  Katy  sat.  It  would  seem  that 
they  were  continuing  a  conversation  which  had  been  in 
terrupted  by  their  arriving  home,  for  Mrs.  Cameron  said, 
with  the  tone  she  always  assumed  when  sympathizing 
with  her  son.  "  Is  she  never  more  cheerful  than  when  I 
have  seen  her  ?  " 

"  Never,"  and  Katy  could  feel  just  how  Wilford's  lips 
shut  over  his  teeth  as  he  said  it ;  "  never  more  cheerful, 
but  worse  if  anything.  Why,  positively  the  house  seems 
so  like  a  funeral  that  I  hate  to  leave  the  office  and  go 
back  to  it  at  night,  knowing  how  mopish  and  gloomy 
Katy  will  be." 

"  My  poor  boy,  it  is  worse  than  I  feared,"  Mrs.  Cameron 
said,  with  a  little  sigh,  while  Katy,  with  a  great  gasping 
sob,  tried  to  rise  and  go  to  them,  to  tell  them  she  was 
there — the  mopish  Katy,  who  made  her  home  so  like 
a  funeral  to  her  husband. 

But  her  limbs  refused  to  move,  and  she  sank  back 
powerless  in  her  chair,  compelled  to  listen  to  things  which 
no  true  husband  would  ever  say  to  a  mother  of  his  wife, 
especially  when  that  wife's  error  consisted  principally  in 
mourning  for  the  child  "which  but  for  her  imprudence 
might  have  been  living  then."  These  were  Wilford's 
very  words,  and  though  Katy  had  once  expected  him 


The  Cameron  Pride.  277 

to  say  them,  they  came  upon  her  now  with  a  dreadful 
shock,  making  her  view  herself  as  the  murderer  of  her 
child,  and  thus  blunting  the  pain  she  might  otherwise 
have  felt  as  he  went  on  to  speak  of  Silverton  and  its 
inhabitants  just  as  he  would  not  have  spoken  had  he 
known  she  was  so  near.  Then,  encouraged  by  his  mother, 
he  talked  again  of  her  in  a  way  which  made  her  poor  ach 
ing  heart  throb  as  she  whispered,  sadly,  "  He  is  disap 
pointed  in  me.  I  do  not  come  up  to  all  that  he  expected. 
I  do  very  well,  considering  my  low  origin,  but  I  am  not 
what  his  wife  should  be/' 

Wilford  had  not  said  all  this,  but  Katy  inferred  it, 
and  every  nerve  quivered  with  anguish  as  the  wild  wish 
came  over  her  that  she  had  died  on  that  day  when  she 
sat  in  the  summer  grass  at  home  waiting  for  Wilford 
Cameron.  Poor  Katy!  she  thought  her  cup  of  sorrow 
full,  when,  alas !  only  a  drop  had  as  yet  been  poured  into 
it.  But  it  was  filling  fast,  and  Mrs.  Cameron's  words, 
"  It  might  have  been  better  with  Genevra,"  was  the 
first  outpouring  of  the  overwhelming  torrent  which  for 
a  moment  bore  her  life  and  sense  away.  She  thought 
they  meant  her  baby — the  little  Genevra  sleeping  under 
the  snow  in  Silverton — and  her  white  lips  answered, 
"  Yes,  it  would  be  better/'  before  Wilford's  voice  was 
heard,  saying,  as  he  always  said,  "  No,  I  have  never 
wished  Genevra  in  Katy's  place;  though  I  have  some 
times  wondered  what  the  result  would  have  been  had  I 
learned  in  season  how  much  I  wronged  her." 

Was  heaven  and  earth  coming  together,  or  what  made 
Katy's  brain  so  dizzy  and  the  room  so  dark,  as,  with  head 
bent  forward  and  lips  apart,  she  strained  her  ear  to 
catch  every  word  of  the  conversation  which  followed, 
and  in  which  she  saw  glimpses  of  that  leaf  offered  her 
once  to  read,  and  from  which  she  had  promised  not  to 
shrink  should  it  ever  be  thrust  upon  her?  But  she  did 
shrink,  oh !  so  shudderingly,  holding  up  her  hands  and 
striking  them  through  the  empty  air  as  if  she  would 
thrust  aside  the  terrible  spectre  risen  so  suddenly  before 
her.  She  had  heard  all  that  she  cared  to  hear  then. 
Another  word  and  she  should  surely  die  where  she  was, 
within  hearing  of  the  voices  still  talking  of  Genevra. 


2/8  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Stopping  her  ears  to  shut  out  the  dreadful  sound,  she 
tried  to  think  what  she  should  do.  To  gain  the  door 
and  reach  the  street  was  her  desire,  and  throwing  on 
her  wrrappings  she  went  noiselessly  into  the  hall,  and 
carefully  turning  the  lock  and  closing  the  door  behind  her. 
she  found  herself  alone  in  the  street  in  the  dusk  of  a 
November  night.  But  Katy  was  not  afraid,  and  draw 
ing  her  hood  closely  over  her  face  she  sped  on  until  her 
own  house  was  reached,  alarming  Esther  with  her  fright 
ened  face,  but  explaining  that  she  had  been  taken  sud 
denly  ill  and  returned  before  dinner 

"  Mr.  Cameron  will  be  here  soon,"  she  said.  "  I  do 
not  need  anything  to-night,  so  you  can  leave  me  alone 
and  go  where  you  like — to  the  theatre,  if  you  choose.  I 
heard  you  say  you  wished  to  go.  Here  is  the  money 
for  you  and  Phillips,"  and  handing  a  bill  to  the  puzzled 
Estner,  she  dismissed  her  from  the  room. 

Meanwhile,  at  the  elder  Cameron's,  no  one  had  a  sus 
picion  of  Katy's  recent  presence,  for  the  girl  who  had 
admitted  her  had  gone  to  visit  a  sick  sister,  with  whom 
she  was  to  spend  the  night.  Thus  Katy's  secret  was 
safe,  and  Wilford,  when  at  last  he  bade  his  mother  good 
bye  and  started  for  home,  was  not  prepared  for  the 
livid  face,  the  bloodshot  eyes,  and  the  strange,  unnatural 
look  which  met  him  at  the  threshold. 

Katy  answered  his  ring  herself,  her  hands  grasping 
his  fiercely,  dragging  him  up  the  stairs  to  her  own 
room,  where,  more  like  a  maniac  than  Katy  Cameron,  she 
confronted  him  with  the  startling  question, 

"Who  is  Genevra  Lambert?  It  is  time  I  knew  before 
committing  greater  sin.  Tell  me,  Wilford,  who  is  she  ?  " 

She  was  standing  before  him,  her  slight  figure  seem 
ing  to  expand  into  a  greater  height,  the  features  glow 
ing  with  strong  excitement,  and  her  hot  breath  coming 
hurriedly  through  her  dilated  nostrils,  but  never  open 
ing  the  pale  lips  set  so  firmly  together.  There  was 
something  terrible  in  her  look  and  attitude,  and  it  startled 
Wilford,  who  recoiled  a  moment  from  her,  scarcely  able 
to  recognize  the  Katy  hitherto  so  gentle  and  quiet.  She 
had  learned  his  secret,  but  the  facts  must  have  been 
distorted,  he  knew,  or  she  had  never  been  so  agitated. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  279 

From  beneath  his  hair  the  great  sweat-drops  came  pouring, 
as  he  tried  to  approach  her  and  take  the  uplifted  hands, 
motioning  him  aside  with  the  words,  "  Not  touch  me ; 
no,  not  touch  me  till  you  have  told  me  who  is  Genevra 
Lambert" 

She  repeated  the  question  twice,  and  rallying  all  his 
strength  Wilford  answered  her  at  last,  "  Genevra  Lambert 
was  my  wife !  " 

"  I  thought  so,"  and  the  next  moment  Katy  lay  in 
Wilford's  arms,  dead,  as  he  feared,  for  there  was  no  mo 
tion  about  the  eyelids,  no  motion  that  he  could  perceive 
about  the  pulse  or  heart,  as  he  laid  the  rigid  form  upon 
the  bed  and  then  bent  every  energy  to  restore  her,  even 
though  he  feared  that  it  was  hopeless. 

If  possible  he  would  prefer  that  no  one  should  intrude 
upon  them  now,  and  he  chafed  her  icy  hands  and  bathed 
her  face  until  the  eyes  unclosed  again,  but  with  a  shudder 
turned  away  as  they  met  his.  Then,  as  she  grew  stronger 
and  remembered  the  past,  she  started  up,  exclaiming, 
"If  Genevra  Lambert  is  your  wife,  what  then  am  I? 
Oh,  Wilford,  how  could  you  make  me  not  a  wife,  when  I 
trusted  and  loved  you  so  much  ?  " 

He  knew  she  was  laboring  under  a  mistake,  and  he 
did  not  wonder  at  the  violence  of  her  emotions  if  she  be 
lieved  he  had  wronged  her  so  cruelly,  and  coming  nearer 
to  her  he  said,  "  Genevra  Lambert  was  my  wife  once, 
but  is  not  now,  for  she  is  dead.  Do  you  hear  me,  Katy? 
Genevra  died  }7ears  ago,  when  you  were  a  little  girl  play 
ing  in  the  fields  at  home." 

By  mentioning  Silverton,  he  hoped  to  bring  back 
something  of  her  olden  look,  in  place  of  the  expression 
which  troubled  and  frightened  him.  The  experiment  was 
successful,  and  great  tears  gathered  in  Katy's  eyes,  wash 
ing  out  the  wild,  unnatural  gleam,  while  the  lips  whispered, 
"  And  it  was  her  picture  Juno  saw.  She  told  me  the 
night  I  came,  and  I  tried  to  question  you.  You 
remember  ?  " 

Wilford  did  remember  it,  and  he  replied,  "  Yes,  but  I 
did  not  suppose  you  knew  I  had  a  picture.  You  have 
been  a  good  wife,  Katy,  never  to  mention  it  since  then ;  £ 
and  he  tried  to  kiss  her  forehead,  but  she  covered  it 


280  The  Cameron  Pride. 

with  her  hands,  saying  sadly,  "  Not  yet,  Wilford,  I  can 
not  bear  it  now.  I  must  know  the  whole  about  Genevra. 
Why  didn't  you  tell  me  before?  Why  have  you  deceived 
me  so?" 

"  Katy,"  and  Wilford  grew  very  earnest  in  his  attempts 
to  defend  himself,  "  do  you  remember  that  day  we  sat 
under  the  buttonwood  tree,  and  you  promised  to  be  mine? 
Try  and  recall  the  incidents  of  that  hour  and  see  if  I 
did  not  hint  at  some  things  in  the  past  which  I  wished 
had  been  otherwise,  and  did  not  offer  to  show  you  the 
blackest  page  of  my  whole  life,  but  you  would  not  see 
it.  Was  that  so,  Katy?" 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  and  he  continued :  <e  You  said 
you  were  satisfied  to  take  me  as  I  was.  You  would 
not  hear  evil  against  me,  and  so  I  acquiesced,  bidding 
you  not  shrink  back  if  ever  the  time  should  come  when 
you  must  read  that  page.  I  \?as  to  blame,  I  know,  but 
there  were  many  extenuating  circumstances,  much  to 
excuse  me  for  withholding  what  you  would  not  hear." 

Wilford  did  not  like  to  be  censured,  neither  did  he 
like  to  censure  himself,  and  now  that  Katy  was  out  of 
danger  and  comparatively  calm,  he  began  to  build  about 
himself  a  fortress  of  excuses  for  having  kept  from  her 
the  secret  of  his  life. 

"  When  did  you  hear  of  Genevra  ?  "  he  asked. 

Katy  told  him  when  and  how  she  heard  the  story,  and 
then  added,  "  Oh,  Wilford,  why  did  you  keep  it  from  me  ? 
What  was  there  about  it  wrong,  and  where  is  she 
buried?" 

"  In  Alnwick,  at  St.  Mary's,"  Wilford  answered,  deter 
mining  now  to  hold  nothing  back,  and  by  his  abruptness 
wounding  Katy  afresh. 

"In  Alnwick,  at  St.  Mary's,"  Katy  cried.  "Then  I 
have  seen  her  grave,  and  that  is  why  you  were  so  anxious 
to  get  there — so  unwilling  to  go  away.  Oh,  if  I  were  lying 
there  instead  of  Genevra,  it  would  be  so  much  better,  so 
much  better." 

Katy  was  sobbing  now,  in  a  moaning,  plaintive  way, 
which  touched  Wilford  tenderly,  and  smoothing  her  tangled 
hair,  he  said,  "  I  would  not  exchange  my  Katy  for  all 
the  Genevras  in  the  world.  She  was  never  as  dear  to  me 


The  Cameron  Pride.  281 

as  you.  I  was  but  a  boy,  and  did  not  know  my  mind, 
when  I  met  her.  Shall  I  tell  you  about  her  now?  Can 
you  bear  to  hear  the  story  of  Genevra  ?  " 

There  was  a  nod  of  assent,  and  Katy  turned  her  face  to 
the  wall,  clasping  her  hands  tightly  together,  while  Wil- 
ford  drew  his  chair  to  her  side  and  began  to  read  the  page 
he  should  have  read  to  her  long  before. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

WHAT  THE  PAGE  DISCLOSED. 

I  WAS  little  more  than  nineteen  years  of  age  when 
I  left  Harvard  College  and  went  abroad  with  my  only 
brother,  the  John  or  Jack  of  whom  you  have  so  often 
heard.  Both  himself  and  wife  were  in  delicate  health, 
and  it  was  hoped  a  voyage  across  the  sea  would  do  them 
good.  For  nearly  a  year  we  were  in  various  parts  of 
England,  stopping  for  two  months  at  Brighton,  where, 
among  the  visitors,  was  a  widow  from  the  vicinity  of 
Alnwick,  and  with  her  an  orphan  niece,  whose  dazzling 
beauty  attracted  my  youthful  fancy.  She  was  not  happy 
with  her  aunt,  upon  whom  she  was  wholly  dependent,  and 
my  sympathies  were  all  enlisted,  when,  with  the  tears  shin 
ing  in  her  lustrous  eyes,  she  one  day  accidentally  stumbled 
upon  her  trouble  and  told  me  how  wretched  she  was, 
asking  if  in  America  there  was  not  something  for  her  to 
do. 

"  It  was  at  this  time  that  Jamie  was  born,  and  Mary, 
the  girl  who  went  out  with  us,  was  married  to  an  English 
man,  making  it  necessary  for  Hatty  to  find  some  one  to 
take  her  place.  Hearing  of  this,  Genevra  came  one  day, 
and  offered  herself  as  half  companion,  half  waiting-maid 
to  Hatty.  Anything  was  preferable  to  the  life  she  led, 
she  said,  pleading  so  hard  that  Hatty,  after  an  interview 
with  the  old  aunt — a  purse-proud,  vulgar  woman,  who 
seemed  glad  to  be  rid  of  her  charge — consented  to  receive 
her,  and  Genevra  became  one  of  our  family,  an  equal  rather 
than  a  menial,  whom  Hatty  treated  with  as  much  considera 
tion  as  if  she  had  been  a  sister.  I  wish  I  could  tell  you 


282  The  Cameron  Pride, 

how  beautiful  Genevra  Lambert  was  at  that  period  of  her 
life,  with  her  brilliant  English  complexion,  her  eyes  so  full 
of  poetry  and  passion,  her  perfect  features,  and,  more  than 
all,  the  wondrous  smile,  which  would  have  made  a  plain 
face  handsome. 

"  Of  course  I  came  to  love  her,  and  loved  her  all  the 
more  for  the  opposition  I  knew  my  family  would  throw 
in  the  way  of  my  marrying  the  daughter  of  an  English 
apothecary,  and  one  who  was  voluntarily  filling  a  ser 
vant's  place.  But  with  my  mother  across  the  sea,  I  could 
do  anything;  and  when  Genevra  told  me  of  a  base  fellow, 
who,  since  she  was  a  child,  had  sought  her  for  his  wife, 
and  still  pursued  her  with  his  letters,  my  passions  were 
roused,  and  I  offered  myself  at  once.  Her  answer  was  a 
decided  refusal.  She  knew  her  position,  she  said,  and 
she  knew  mine,  just  as  she  knew  the  nature  of  the  feeling 
which  prompted  me  to  act  thus  toward  her.  Although 
just  my  age,  she  was  older  in  judgment  and  experience, 
and  she  seemed  to  understand  the  difference  between  our 
relative  positions.  I  was  not  indifferent  to  her,  she  said, 
and  were  she  my  equal  her  answer  might  be  otherwise 
than  the  decided  no. 

"Madly  in  love,  and  fancying  I  could  not  live  without 
her,  I  besieged  her  with  letters,  some  of  which  she  re 
turned  unopened,  while  on  others  she  wrote  a  few  hur 
ried  lines,  calling  me  a  boy,  who  did  not  know  my  own 
mind,  and  asking  what  my  friends  would  say. 

"  I  cared  little  for  friends,  and  urged  my  suit  the  more 
vehemently,  as  we  were  about  going  into  Scotland,  where 
our  marriage  could  be  celebrated  in  private  at  any  time. 
I  did  not  contemplate  making  the  affair  public  at  once. 
That  would  take  from  the  interest  and  romance,  while, 
unknown  to  myself,  there  was  at  heart  a  fear  of  my 
family. 

"  But  not  to  dwell  too  long  upon  those  days,  which 
seem  to  me  now  like  a  dream,  we  went  to  Scotland  and 
were  married  privately,  for  I  won  her  to  this  at  last. 

"My  brother's  failing  health,  as  well  as  Hatty's,  pre 
vented  them  from  suspecting  what  was  going  on,  and 
when  at  last  we  went  to  Italy  they  had  no  idea  that  Genevra 
was  my  wife.  At  Koine  her  beautiful  face  attracted  much 


The  Cameron  Pride.  283 

attention  from  tourists  and  residents,  among  whom  were 
a  few  young  men,  who,  looking  upon  her  as  Jamie's  nurse, 
or  at  most  a  companion  for  his  mother,  made  no  attempt 
to  disguise  their  admiration.  For  this  I  had  no  redress 
except  in  an  open  avowal  of  the  relation  in  which  I  stood 
to  her,  and  this  I  could  not  then  do,  for  the  longer  it 
was  deferred  the  harder  I  found  it  to  acknowledge  her  my 
wife.  I  ^ved  her  devotedly,  and  that  perhaps  was  one 
great  cause  of  the  jealousy  which  began  to  spring  up  and 
embitter  my  life. 

"  I  do  not  now  believe  that  Genevra  was  at  heart  a 
coquette.  She  was  very  fond  of  admiration,  but  when 
she  saw  how  much  I  was  disturbed  she  made  an  effort  to 
avoid  those  who  flattered  her,  but  her  manner  was  unfor 
tunate,  while  her  voice — the  sweetest  I  ever  heard — was 
calculated  to  invite  rather  than  repel  attention.  As  the 
empress  of  the  world,  she  would  have  won  and  kept  the 
homage  of  mankind,  from  the  humblest  beggar  in  the 
street  to  the  king  upon  the  throne,  and  had  I  been  older 
I  should  have  been  proud  of  what  then  was  my  greatest 
annoyance.  But  I  was  a  mere  boy — and  I  watched  her 
jealously,  until  a  new  element  of  disquiet  was  presented 
to  me  in  the  shape  of  a  ruffianly  looking  fellow,  who  was 
frequently  seen  about  the  premises,  and  with  whom  I 
once  found  Genevra  in  close  converse,  starting  and  blush 
ing  guiltily  when  I  came  upon  her,  while  her  companion 
went  swiftly  from  my  sight. 

"Tt  was  an  old  English  acquaintance,  who  was  poor 
and  asking  charity,"  she  said,  when  questioned,  but  her 
manner  led  me  to  think  there  was  something  wrong, 
particularly  as  I  saw  her  with  him  again,  and  thought 
she  held  his  hand. 

"  It  was  evident  that  my  brother  would  never  see  America 
again,  and  at  his  request  my  mother  came  to  us,  in  com 
pany  with  a  family  from  Boston,  reaching  us  two  weeks 
before  he  died.  From  the  first  she  disliked  Genevra,  and 
suspected  the  liking  between  us,  but  never  dreaming  of 
the  truth  until  a  week  after  Jack's  death,  when  in  a  fit 
of  anger  at  Genevra  for  listening  to  an  English  artist, 
who  had  asked  to  paint  her  picture,  the  story  of  the 


284  The  Cameron  Pride. 

marriage  came  out,  and  like  a  child  dependent  on  its 
mother  for  advice,  I  asked,  '  What  shall  I  do  ? ' 

"  You  know  mother,  and  can  in  part  understand  how 
she  would  scorn  a  girl  who,  though  born  to  better  things, 
was  still  found  in  the  capacity  of  a  waiting-maid.  I  never 
saw  her  so  moved  as  she  was  for  a  time,  after  learning 
that  her  only  living  son,  from  whom  she  expected  so  much, 
had  thrown  himself  away,  an  she  expressed  it.  Si'ter 
Hatty,  who  loved  Genevra,  did  all  she  could  to  heal  the 
growing  difference  between  us,  but  I  trusted  mother  most. 
I  believed  that  what  she  said  was  right,  and  so  matters 
grew  worse,  until  one  night,  the  last  we  spent  in  Rome, 
I  missed  Genevra  from  our  rooms,  and  starting  in  quest 
of  her,  found  her,  in  a  little  flower  garden  back  of  our 
dwelling.  There,  under  the  deep  shadow  of  a  tr?e,  and 
partly  concealed  from  view,  she  stood  with  her  arm 
around  the  neck  of  the  same  rough-looking  man  who 
had  been  there  before.  She  did  not  see  me  as  I  watched 
her  while  she  parted  with  him,  suffering  him  to  kiss 
her  hand  and  forehead  as  he  said,  "  Good-bye,  my 
darling." 

"  In  a  tremor  of  anger  and  excitement  I  quitted  the 
spot,  my  mind  wholly  made  up  with  regard  to  my  future. 
That  there  was  something  wrong  about  Genevra  I  did 
not  doubt,  and  I  would  not  give  her  a  chance  to  explain 
by  telling  her  what  I  had  seen,  but  sent  her  back  to  Eng 
land,  giving  her  ample  means  for  defraying  the  expenses 
of  her  journey  and  for  living  in  comfort  after  her  arrival 
there.  From  Rome  we  went  to  Naples,  and  then  to 
Switzerland,  where  Hatty  died,  leaving  us  alone  with 
little  Jamie.  It  was  at  Berne  that  I  received  an 
anonymous  letter  from  England,  the  writer  stating  that 
Genevra  was  with  her  aunt,  that  the  whole  had  ended  as 
he  thought  it  would,  that  he  could  readily  guess  at  the 
nature  of  the  trouble,  and  hinting  that  if  a  divorce  was 
desirable  on  my  return  to  England,  all  necessary  proof 
could  be  obtained  by  applying  to  such  a  number  in  Lon 
don,  the  writer  announcing  himself  a  brother  of  the  man 
who  had  once  sought  Genevra,  and  saying  he  had  always 
opposed  the  match,  knowing  Genevra's  family. 

"  This  was  the  first  time  the  idea  of  a  divorce  had 


The  Cameron  Pride.  285 

entered  my  mind,  and  I  shrank  from  a  final  separation. 
But  mother  felt  differently.  It  was  not  a  new  thought 
to  her,  knowing  as  she  did  that  the  validity  of  a  Scotch 
marriage,  such  as  ours,  was  frequently  contested  in  the 
English  Courts.  Once  free  from  Genevra  the  world  this 
side  the  water  would  never  know  of  that  mistake,  and 
she  set  herself  steadily  to  accomplish  her  purpose.  To 
tell  you  all  that  followed  our  return  to  England,  and  the 
steps  by  which  I  was  brought  to  sue  for  a  divorce,  would 
make  my  story  too  long,  and  so  I  will  only  state  that, 
chiefly  by  the  testimony  of  the  anonymous  letter-writer, 
whose  acquaintance  we  made,  a  divorce  was  obtained, 
Genevra  putting  in  no  defence,  but,  as  I  heard  after 
wards,  settling  down  into  an  apathy  from  which  nothing 
had  power  to  rouse  her  until  the  news  of  her  freedom 
from  me  was  carried  to  her,  when,  amid  a  paroxysm  of 
tears  and  sobs,  she  wrote  me  a  few  lines,  assuring  me  of 
her  innocence,  refusing  to  send  back  her  wedding  ring, 
and  saying  God  would  not  forgive  me  for  the  great 
wrong  I  had  done  her.  I  saw  her  once  after  that  by 
appointment,  and  her  face  haunted  me  for  years,  for,  Katy, 
Genevra  was  innocent,  as  I  found  after  the  time  was  past 
when  reparation  could  be  made." 

Wilford's  voice  trembled,  and  for  a  moment  there  was 
silence  in  the  room,  while  he  composed  himself  to  go  on 
with  the  story : 

"  She  would  not  live  with  me  again  if  she  could,  she 
said,  denouncing  bitterly  the  Cameron  pride,  and  saying 
she  was  happier  to  be  free;  and  there  we  parted,  but 
not  until  she  told  me  that  her  traducer  was  the  old  dis 
carded  suitor  who  had  sworn  to  have  revenge,  and  who, 
since  the  divorce,  had  dared  seek  her  again.  A  vague 
suspicion  of  this  had  crossed  my  mind  once  before,  but 
the  die  was  cast,  and  even  if  the  man  were  false,  what  I 
saw  myself  in  Borne  still  stood  against  her,  and  so  my 
conscience  was  quieted,  while  mother  was  more  than  glad 
to  be  rid  of  a  daughter-in-law  of  whose  family  I  knew 
nothing.  Rumors  I  did  hear  of  a  cousin  whose  character 
was  not  the  best,  and  of  the  father  who  for  some  crime 
had  fled  the  country,  and  died  in  a  foreign  land,  but 
as  that  was  nothing  to  me  now,  I  passed  it  by,  feeling 


286  The  Cameron  Pride. 

it  was  best  to  be  released  from  one  of  so  doubtful 
antecedents. 

"  In  the  spring  of  185-  we  came  back  to  New  York, 
where  no  one  had  ever  heard  of  the  affair,  so  quietly 
had  it  been  managed.  I  was  still  an  unmarried  man  to  the 
world,  as  no  one  but  my  mother  knew  my  secret.  With 
her  I  often  talked  of  Genevra,  wishing  sometimes  that  I 
could  hear  from  her,  a  wish  which  was  finally  gratified. 
One  day  I  received  a  note  requesting  an  interview  at  a 
down  town  hotel,  the  writer  signing  himself  as  Thomas 
Lambert,  and  adding  that  I  need  have  no  fears,  as  he  came 
to  perform  an  act  of  justice,  not  of  -retribution.  Three 
hours  later  I  was  locked  in  a  room  with  Genevra's  father, 
the  same  man  whom  I  had  seen  in  Koine.  Detected  in  for 
gery  years  before,  he  had  fled  from  England  and  had 
hidden  himself  in  Eome,  where  he  accidentally  met  his 
daughter,  and  so  that  stain  was  removed.  He  had  heard 
of  the  divorce  by  a  letter  Avhich  Genevra  managed  to  send 
him,  and  braving  all  difficulties  and  dangers  he  had  come 
back  to  England  and  found  his  child,  hearing  from  her 
the  story  of  her  wrongs,  and  as  well  as  he  was  able  setting 
himself  to  discover  the  author  of  the  calumny.  He  was 
not  long  in  tracing  it  to  Le  Roy,  Genevra's  former  suitor, 
whom  he  found  in  a  dying  condition,  and  who  with  his 
last  breath  confessed  the  falsehood  which  was  imposed 
upon  me,  he  said,  partly  from  motives  of  revenge,  and 
partly,  with  a  hope  that  free  from  me,  Genevra  would 
at  the  last  turn  to  him.  As  proof  that  Mr.  Lambert 
told  me  truth,  he  brought  the  dying  man's  confession, 
written  in  a  cramped,  trembling  hand,  which  I  recognized 
at  once.  The  confession  ended  with  the  solemn  assertion, 
*  For  aught  I  know  or  believe,  Genevra  Lambert  is  as 
pure  and  true  as  any  woman  living.' 

"  I  cannot  describe  the  effect  this  had  upon  me.  I 
did  not  love  Genevra  then.  I  had  out-lived  that  affec 
tion,  but  I  felt  remorse  and  pity  for  having  wronged  her, 
and  asked  how  I  could  make  amends. 

" (  You  cannot,'  the  old  man  said,  t  except  in  one  way, 
and  that  she  does  not  desire.  I  did  not  come  here  with 
any  wish  for  you  to  take  her  for  your  wife  again.  It 
was  an  unequal  match  which  never  should  have  been; 


The  Cameron  Pride.  287 

but  if  you  believe  her  innocent,  she  will  be  satisfied. 
She  wanted  you  to  know  it — I  wanted  you  to  know  it, 
and  so  I  crossed  the  sea  to  find  you." 

The  next  I  heard  of  her  was  in  the  columns  of  an 
English  newspaper,  which  told  me  she  was  dead,  while 
in  another  place  a  pencil  mark  was  lightly  traced  around 
a  paragraph,  which  said  that  '  a  forger,  Thomas  Lambert, 
who  escaped  years  ago  and  was  supposed  to  be  dead, 
had  recently  reappeared  in  England,  where  he  was  rec 
ognized,  but  not  arrested,  for  the  illness  which  proved 
fatal.  He  was  attended,"  the  paper  said,  fby  his  daugh 
ter,  a  beautiful  young  girl,  whose  modest  mien  and  gen 
tle  manner  had  done  much  towards  keeping  the  officers 
of  justice  from  her  dying  father,  no  one  being  able  to 
withstand  her  pleadings  that  her  father  might  die  in 
peace.' 

"I  was  grateful  for  this  tribute  to  Genevra,  for  I  felt 
that  it  was  deserved;  and  I  turned  again  to  the  notice  of 
her  death,  which  must  have  occurred  within  a  short  time  of 
her  father's,  and  was  probably  induced  by  past  troubles 
and  recent  anxiety  for  him. 

"  Genevra  Lambert  died  at  Alnwick,  aged  22.  There 
could  be  no  mistake,  and  with  a  tear  to  the  memory  of 
the  dead  whom  I  had  loved  and  injured,  I  burned  the 
paper,  feeling  that  now  there  was  no  clue  to  the  secret  I 
was  as  anxious  to  preserve  as  was  my  mother. 

"  And  so  the  years  wore  on  till  I  met  and  married 
you,  withholding  from  you  that  yours  was  not  the  first 
love  which  had  stirred  my  heart.  I  meant  to  tell  you, 
Katy,  but  I  could  not  for  the  great  fear  of  losing  you  if 
you  knew  all.  And  then  an  error  concealed  so  long  is 
hard  to  be  confessed.  I  took  you  across  the  sea  to  Brighton, 
where  I  first  met  Genevra,  and  then  to  Alnwick,  seeking 
out  the  grave  which  made  assurance  doubly  sure.  It 
was  natural  that  I  should  make  some  inquiries  concerning 
her  last  days;  I  questioned  the  old  sexton  who  was  at 
work  near  by.  Calling  his  attention  to  the  name,  I 
said  it  was  an  uncommon  one  and  asked  if  he  knew  the 
girl. 

" e  Not  by  sight,  no,'  he  said.  '  She  was  only  here  a 
few  days  before  she  died.  I've  heard  she  was  very  win- 


288  The  Cameron  Pride. 

some  and  that  there  was  a  scandal  of  some  kind  mixed 
tip  with  her.' 

"  I  would  not  ask  him  any  more ;  and  without  any 
wrong  to  you,  I  confess  that  my  tears  dropped  upon  the 
turf  under  which  I  knew  Genevra  lay." 

"  I  am  glad  they  did ;  I  should  hate  you  if  you  had  not 
cried,"  Katy  exclaimed,  her  voice  more  natural  than  it 
had  been  since  the  great  shock  came. 

"  Do  you  forgive  me,  Katy  ?  Do  you  love  me  as  well 
as  ever  ?  "  Wilf ord  asked,  stooping  down  to  kiss  her,  but 
Katy  drew  her  face  away  and  would  not  answer  then. 

She  did  not  know  herself  how  she  felt  towards  him. 
He  did  not  seem  just  like  the  husband  she  had  trusted  in 
so  blindly.  It  would  take  a  long  time  to  forget  that  an 
other  head  than  hers  had  lain  upon  his  bosom,  and  it  would 
take  longer  yet  to  blot  out  the  memory  of  complaining 
words  uttered  to  his  mother.  She  had  never  thought  he 
could  do  that,  never  dreamed  of  such  a  thing,  knowing 
that  she  would  sooner  have  parted  with  her  right  hand 
than  complained  of  him.  Her  idol  had  fallen  in  more  re 
spects  than  one,  and  the  heart  it  had  bruised  in  the  fall 
refused  at  once  to  gather  the  shattered  pieces  up  and  call 
them  as  good  as  new.  She  was  not  so  obstinate  as  Wil- 
ford  began  to  fancy.  She  was  only  stunned  and  could  not 
rally  at  his  bidding.  He  confessed  the  whole,  keeping 
nothing  back,  and  he  felt  that  Katy  was  unjust  not  to 
acknowledge  his  magnanimity  and  restore  him  to  her 
favor.  Again  he  asked  forgiveness,  and  bent  down  to  kiss 
her,  but  Katy  answered,  "  Not  yet,  Wilford,  not  till  I 
feel  all  right  towards  you.  A  wife's  kiss  should  be 
sincere." 

"As  you  like/'  trembled  on  Wilford's  lips,  but  he  beat 
back  the  words  and  walked  up  and  down  the  room, 
knowing  now  that  his  journey  must  be  deferred  till 
morning,  and  wondering  if  Katy  would  hold  out  till 
then. 

It  vas  long  past  midnight,  but  to  retire  was  impossible, 
and  so  for  one  whole  hour  he  paced  through  the  room, 
while  Katy  lay  with  her  eyes  closed  and  her  lips  moving 
occasionally  in  words  of  prayer  she  tried  to  say,  asking 
God  to  help  her,  and  praying  that  she  might  in  future 


The  Cameron  Pride.  289 

lay  her  treasures  up  where  they  could  not  so  suddenly  be 
swept  away.  Wearily  the  hours  passed,  and  the  gray 
dawn  was  stealing  into  the  room  when  Wilford  again 
approached  his  wife  and  said,  "  You  know  I  was  to  have 
left  home  last  night  on  business.  As  I  did  not  go  then  it 
is  necessary  that  I  leave  this  morning.  Are  you  able  to 
stay  alone  for  three  days  more  ?  Are  you  willing  ?  " 

"  Yes — oh  yes,"  Katy  replied,  feeling  that  to  have  him 
gone  while  she  battled  with  the  pain  lying  so  heavy  at 
her  heart,  would  be  a  great  relief. 

Perhaps  he  suspected  this  feeling  in  part,  for  he  bit  his 
lip  impatiently,  and  without  another  word  called  up  the 
servant  whose  duty  it  was  to  prepare  his  breakfast.  Cold 
and  cheerless  seemed  the  dining-room,  to  which  an  hour 
later  he  repaired,  and  tasteless  was  the  breakfast  without 
Katy  there  to  share  it.  She  had  been  absent  many  times 
hefore,  but  never  just  as  now,  with  this  wide  gulf  between 
them,  and  as  he  broke  his  egg  and  tried  to  drink  his  cof 
fee,  Wilford  felt  like  one  from  whom  every  support  had 
been  swept  away.  He  did  not  like  the  look  on  Katy's  face 
or  the  sound  of  her  voice,  and  as  he  thought  upon  them, 
self  began  to  whisper  again  that  she  had  no  right  to  stand 
out  so  long  when  he  had  confessed  everything,  and  by 
the  time  his  breakfast  was  finished,  Wilford  Cameron 
was,  in  his  own  estimation,  an  abused  and  injured  man, 
so  that  it  was  with  an  air  of  defiance  rather  than  humility 
that  he  went  again  to  Katy.  She,  too,  had  been  thinking, 
and  as  the  result  of  her  thoughts  she  lifted  up  her 
head  as  he  came  in  and  said,  "  I  can  kiss  you  now,  Wil 
ford." 

It  was  human  nature,  we  suppose — at  least  it  was  Wil- 
ford's  nature — which  for  an  instant  tempted  him  to  de 
cline  the  kiss  proffered  so  lovingly;  but  Katy's  face  was 
more  than  he  could  withstand,  and  when  again  he  left 
that  room  the  kiss  of  pardon  was  upon  his  lips  and  com 
parative  quiet  was  in  his  heart. 

"  The  picture,  Wilford, — please  bring  me  the  picture, 
1  want  to  see  it,"  Katy  called  after  him,  as  he  was  running 
down  the  stairs. 

Wilford  would  not  refuse,  and  hastily  unlocking  his 
private  drawer  he  carried  the  case  to  Katy's  room,  saying 


290  The  Cameron  Pride. 

to  her,  "  I  would  not  mind  it  now.  Try  and  sleep  awhile. 
You  need  the  rest  so  much." 

Katy  knew  she  had  the  whole  day  before  her,  and  so  she 
nestled  down  among  her  pillows  and  soon  fell  into  a 
quiet  sleep,  from  which  Esther  at  last  awakened  her,  ask 
ing  if  she  should  bring  her  breakfast  to  her  room. 

"  Yes,  do,"'  Katy  replied,  adjusting  her  dress  and  trying 
to  arrange  the  matted  curls,  which  were  finally  confined 
in  a  net  until  Esther's  more  practiced  hands  were  ready 
to  attack  them,  then  sending  Esther  from  the  room  Katy 
took  the  picture  of  Genevra  from  the  table  where  Wil- 
ford  had  laid  it. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE  EFFECT. 

VERY  cautiously  the  lid  was  opened,  and  a  lock  of  soft 
brown  hair  fell  out,  clinging  to  Katy's  hand  and  making 
her  shudder  as  she  shook  off  the  silken  tress  and 
remembered  that  the  head  it  once  adorned  was  lying 
in  St.  Mary's  churchyard,  whe?e  the  English  daisies 
grew. 

"  She  had  pretty  hair,"  she  thought ;  "  darker,  richer 
than  mine,"  and  into  Katy's  heart  there  crept  a  feeling 
akin  to  jealousy,  lest  Genevra  had  been  fairer  than  her 
self,  as  well  as  better  loved.  "  I  won't  be  foolish  any 
longer,"  she  said,  and  turning  resolutely  to  the  light,  she 
opened  the  lid  again  and  saw  Genevra  Lambert,  starting 
quickly,  then  looking  again  more  closely — then,  with  a 
gasp,  panting  for  breath;  while  like  lightning  flashes  the 
past  came  rushing  over  her,  as,  with  her  eyes  fixed  upon 
that  picture,  she  tried  to  whisper,  "It  is — it  is!" 

She  could  not  then  say  whom,  for  if  she  were  right  in 
her  belief,  Genevra  was  not  dead.  There  were  no  daisies 
growing  on  her  grave,  for  she  still  walked  the  earth  a 
living  woman,  whom  Katy  knew  so  well — Marian  Hazel- 
ton.  That  was  the  name  Katy  could  not  speak,  as,  with 
the  blood  cuddling  in  her  veins  and  freezing  about  her 


The  Cameron  Pride.  291 

heart,  she  sat  comparing  the  face  she  remembered  so 
well  with  the  one  before  her.  In  some  points  they  were 
unlike,  for  thirteen  years  had  slightly  marred  the  youth 
ful  contour  of  the  face  she  knew  once — had  sharpened  the 
features  and  thinned  the  abundant  hair;  but  still  there 
could  be  no  mistake.  The  eyes,  the  brow,  the  smile,  the 
nose,  all  were  the  same,  and  with  a  pang  bitterer  than 
she  yet  had  felt,  poor  Katy  fell  upon  her  face  and  asked 
that  she  might  die.  In  her  utter  ignorance  of  law,  she 
fancied  that  if  Genevra  were  alive,  she  had  no  right  to 
Wilford's  name — no  right  to  be  his  wife — especially  as 
the  sin  for  which  Genevra  was  divorced  had  by  her  never 
been  committed,  and  burning  tears  of  bitter  shame  ran 
down  her  cheeks  as  she  whispered,  " '  What  God  has 
joined  together  let  no  man  put  asunder.'  Those  are 
God's  words,  and  how  dare  the  world  act  otherwise? 
she  is  his  wife,  and  I — oh !  I  don't  know  what  I  am !  " 
and  on  the  carpet  where  she  was  kneeling  Katy  writhed 
in  agony  as  she  tried  to  think  what  she  must  do.  Not 
stay  there — she  could  not  do  that  now — not,  at  least, 
until  she  knew  for  sure  that  she  was  Wilford's  wife,  in 
spite  of  Genevra's  living.  "  Oh,  if  there  was  only  some 
one  to  advise  me — some  one  who  knew  and  would  tell  me 
what  was  right,"'  Katy  moaned,,  feeling  herself  inadequate 
to  meet  the  dark  hour  alone. 

But  to  whom  should  she  go?  To  Father  Cameron? 
No,  nor  to  his  mother.  They  might  counsel  wrong  for 
the  sake  of  secrecy.  Would  Mark  Eay  or  Mrs.  Banker 
know?  Perhaps;  but  they  were  strangers; — her  trouble 
must  not  be  told  to  them,  and  then  with  a  great  bound 
her  heart  turned  at  last  to  Morris.  He  knew  every 
thing.  He  would  not  sanction  a  wrong.  He  would  tell 
her  just  what  was  right,  and  she  could  trust  him  fully  in 
everything.  There  was  no  other  person  whom  she  could 
believe  just  as  she  could  him.  Uncle  Ephraim  was  equally 
as  good  and  conscientious,  but  he  did  not  know  as  much 
as  Morris — he  did  not  understand  everything.  Morris 
was  her  refuge,  and  to  him  she  would  go  that  very  day, 
leaving  a  note  for  Wilford  in  case  she  never  came  back, 
as  possibly  she  might  not.  Had  Marian  been  in  the  city 
she  would  have  gone  to  her  at  once,  but  Marian  was  where 


292  The  Cameron  Pride. 

long  rows  of  cots  were  ranged  against  the  hospital  walls, 
each  holding  a  maimed  and  suffering  soldier,  to  whom 
she  ministered  so  tenderly,  the  brightness  of  her  smile 
and  the  beauty  of  her  face  deluding  the  delirious  ones 
into  the  belief  that  the  journey  of  life  for  them  was  ended 
and  heaven  reached  at  last,  where  an  angel  in  woman's 
garb  attended  upon  them.  Marian  was  impossible,  and 
Dr.  Grant  was  the  only  alternative  left. 

But  when  she  attempted  to  prepare  for  the  journey 
to  Silverton,  she  found  herself  wholly  inadequate  to  the 
exertion.  The  terrible  excitement  through  which  she  had 
passed  had  exhausted  her  strength,  and  every  nerve  was 
quivering,  while  spasms  of  pain  darted  through  her  head, 
warning  her  that  Silverton  was  impossible.  "I  can  tele 
graph  and  Morris  will  come,"  she  whispered,  and  without 
pausing  to  think  what  the  act  might  involve,  she  wrote 
upon  a  slip  of  paper,  "  Cousin  Morris,  come  to  me  in  the 
next  train.  I  am  in  great  trouble,  Katy." 

She  would  not  add  the  Cameron.  She  had  no  right 
to  that  name,  she  feared,  and  folding  the  paper,  she 
rang  for  Esther,  bidding  her  give  the  telegram  to  the 
boy  Phil,  with  instructions  to  take  it  at  once  to  the  office 
and  see  that  it  went  immediately. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE    INTERVIEW. 

DR.  MORRIS  was  very  tired,  for  his  labors  that  'day 
had  been  unusually  severe,  and  it  was  with  a  feeling 
of  comfort  and  relief  that  at  an  earlier  hour  than  usual, 
he  had  turned  his  steps  homeward,  finding  a  bright  fire 
waiting  him  in  the  library,  where  his  late  dinner  was 
soon  brought  by  the  housekeeper.  It  was  very  pleasant 
in  that  cosy  librarv  of  oak  and  green,  with  the  bright  fire 
on  the  hearth,  and  the  smoking  dinner  set  so  temptingly 
before  him.  And  Morris  felt  the  comfort  of  his  home, 
thanking  the  God  who  had  given  him  all  this,  and  chiding 
his  wayward  heart  that  it  had  ever  dared  to  repine.  He 


The  Cameron  Pride.  293 

was  not  repining  to-night,  as  with  his  hands  crossed 
upon  his  head  he  sat  looking  into  the  fire  and  watching 
the  bits  of  glowing  anthracite  dropping  into  the  pan.  He 
was  thinking  of  the  sick-bed  which  he  had  visited  last,  and 
how  a  faith  in  Jesus  can  make  the  humblest  room  like 
the  gate  of  Heaven;  thinking  how  the  woman's  eyes  had 
sparkled  when  she  told  him  of  the  other  world,  where 
she  would  never  know  pain  or  hunger  or  cold  again,  and 
how  quickly  their  lustre  was  dimmed  when  she  spoke  of 
her  absent  husband,  the  soldier  to  whom  the  news  of 
her  death,  with  the  child  he  had  never  seen,  would  be  a 
crushing  blow. 

"  They  who  have  neither  wife  nor  child  are  the  happier 
perhaps,"'  he  said;  and  then  he  thought  of  Katy  and 
her  great  sorrow  when  baby  died,  wondering  if  to  spare 
herself  that  pain  she  would  rather  baby  had  never  been. 
"  No — oh,  no,"  he  answered  to  his  own  inquiry.  "  She 
would  not  lose  the  memory  which  comes  from  that  little 
grave  for  all  the  world  contains.  It  is  better  once  to 
love  and  lose  than  not  to  love  at  all.  In  Heaven  we 
shall  see  and  know  why  these  things  were  permitted, 
and  marvel  at  the  poor  human  nature  which  rebelled 
against  them." 

Just  at  this  point  of  his  soliloquy,  the  telegram  was 
brought  to  him.  "  Come  in  the  next  train.  I  am  in 
great  trouble." 

He  read  it  many  times,  growing  more  and  more  per 
plexed  with  each  reading,  and  then  trying  to  decide 
what  his  better  course  would  be.  There  were  no  patients 
needing  him  that  night,  that  he  knew  of;  he  might 
perhaps  go  if  there  was  yet  time  for  the  train  which  passed 
at  four  o'clock.  There  was  time,  he  found,  and  telling 
Mrs.  Hull  that  he  had  been  suddenly  called  to  New  York, 
he  bade  his  boy  bring  out  his  horse  and  take  him  at  once 
to  the  depot.  It  was  better  to  leave  no  message  for  the 
deacon's  family,  as  he  did  not  wish  to  alarm  them  unneces 
sarily.  "I  shall  undoubtedly  be  back  to-morrow,"  he 
thought,  as  he  took  his  seat  in  the  car,  wondering  what 
could  be  the  trouble  which  had  prompted  that  strange 
despatch. 

It  was  nearly  midnight  when  he  reached  the  city,  but 


294  The  Cameron  Pride. 

a  light  was  shining  from  the  windows  of  that  house  in 
Madison  Square,  and  Katy,  who  had  never  for  a  moment 
doubted  his  coming,  was  waiting  for  him.  But  not  in 
the  parlor;  she  was  too  sick  now  to  go  down  there,  and 
when  she  heard  his  ring  and  his  voice  in  the  hall  asking 
for  her,  she  bade  Esther  show  him  to  her  room.  More 
and  more  perplexed,  Morris  ran  up  to  the  room  where 
Katy  lay,  or  rather  crouched,  upon  the  sofa,  her  eyes  so 
wild  and  her  face  so  white  that,  in  great  alarm,  Morris 
took  the  cold  hands  she  stretched  feebly  towards  him, 
and  bending  over  her  said,  "  What  is  it,  Katy  ?  Has  any 
thing  dreadful  happened  ?  and  where  is  your  husband  ?  " 

At  the  mention  of  her  husband  Katy  shivered,  and  ris 
ing  from  her  crouching  position,  she  pushed  her  hair 
back  from  her  forehead  and  replied,  "  Oh,  Morris !  I  am 
so  wretched, — so  full  of  pain!  I  have  heard  of  some 
thing  which  took  my  life  away.  I  am  not  Wilford's  wife, 
for  he  had  another  before  me, — a  wife  in  Italy, — who  is 
not  dead !  And  I,  oh  Morris !  what  am  I  ?  I  knew  you 
would  know  just  what  I  was,  and  I  sent  for  you  to  tell 
me  and  take  me  away  from  here,  back  to  Silverton.  Help 
me,  Morris !  1  am  choking !  I  am — yes — I  am — going  to 
faint ! " 

It  was  the  first  time  Katy  had  put  the  great  horror  in 
words  addressed  to  another,  and*  the  act  of  doing  so  made 
it  more  appalling,  and  with  a  moan  she  sank  back  among 
the  pillows  of  the  couch,  while  Morris  tried  to  compre 
hend  the  strange  words  he  had  heard,  "I  am  not  Wil- 
ford's  wife,  for  he  had  another  before  me, — a  wife  in  Italy, 
— who  is  not  dead." 

Dr.  Morris  was  thoroughly  a  man,  and  though  much  of 
his  sinful  nature  had  been  subdued,  there  was  enough  left 
to  make  his  heart  rise  and  fall  with  great  throbs  of  joy  as 
he  thought  of  Katy  free,  even  though  that  freedom  were 
bought  at  the  expense  of  dire  disgrace  to  others,  and  of 
misery  to  her.  But  only  for  a  moment  did  he  feel  thus — 
only  till  he  knelt  beside  the  pallid  face  with  the  dark 
rings  beneath  the  eyes,  and  saw  the  faint,  quivering  mo 
tion  around  the  lips,  which  told  that  she  was  not  wholly 
unconscious. 

"  My  poor  little  wounded  bird,"  he  said,  as  pityingly  as 


The  Cameron  Pride.  295 

if  he  had  been  her  father,  while  much  as  a  father  might 
kiss  his  suffering  child,  he  kissed  the  forehead  and  the 
eyelids  where  the  tears  began  to  gather. 

Katy  was  not  insensible,  and  the  name  by  which  he 
called  her,  with  the  kisses  that  he  gave,  thawed  the  ice 
around  her  heart  and  brought  a  flood  of  tears,  which 
Morris  wiped  away,  lifting  her  gently  up  and  pillowing 
her  hot  head  upon  his  arm,  while  she  moaned  lik?  a  weary 
child. 

"It  rests  me  so  just  to  see  you,  Morris.  May  I  go 
back  with  you,  as  your  housekeeper,  instead  of  Mrs. 
Hull; — that  is,  if  I  am  not  his  wife?  The  world  might 
despise  me,  but  you  would  know  I  was  not  to  blame.  I 
should  go  nowhere  but  to  the  farm-house,  to  church,  and 
baby's  grave.  Poor  baby !  I  am  glad  God  gave  her  to 
me,  even  if  I  am  not  Wilford's  wife;  and  I  am  glad  now 
that  she  died." 

She  was  talking  to  herself  rather  than  to  Morris,  who, 
smoothing  back  her  hair  and  chafing  her  cold  hands, 
said, 

"My  poor  child,  you  have  passed  through  some  agi 
tating  scene.  Are  you  able  now  to  tell  me  all  about  it, 
and  what  you  mean  by  another  wife  ?  " 

There  was  a  shiver,  and  the  white  lips  grew  still  whiter 
as  Katy  began  her  story,  going  back  to  St.  Mary's  church 
yard  and  then  coming  to  her  first  night  in  New  York, 
when  Juno  had  told  her  of  a  picture  and  asked  her 
whose  it  was.  Then  she  told  of  Wilford's  admission  of 
an  earlier  love,  who,  he  said,  was  dead;  of  the  trouble 
about  the  baby's  name,  and  his  aversion  to  Genevra;  but 
when  she  approached  the  dinner  at  the  elder  Cameron's, 
her  lip  quivered  in  a  grieved  kind  of  way  as  she  remem 
bered  what  Wilf ord  had  said  of  her  to  his  mother,  but 
she  would  not  tell  this  to  Morris, — it  was  not  necessary 
to  her  story, — and  so  she  said,  "They  were  talking  of 
what  I  ought  never  to  have  heard,  and  it  seemed  as  if 
the  walls  were  closing  me  in  so  I  could  not  move  to  let 
them  know  I  was  there.  I  said  to  myself,  { I  shall  go 
mad  after  this,'  and  I  thought  of  you  all  coming  to  see 
me  in  the  mad-house,  your  kind  face,  Morris,  coming  up 
distinctly  before  me,  just  as  it  would  look  at  me  if  I  were 


296  The  Cameron  Pride. 

really  crazed.  But  all  this  was  swept  away  like  a  hurri 
cane  when  I  heard  the  rest,  the  part  about  Genevra, 
Wilford's  other  wife." 

Katy  was  panting  for  breath,  but  she  went  on  with  the 
story,  which  made  Morris  clench  his  hands  as  he  coni- 
prehended  the  deceit  which  had  been  practiced  so  long. 
Of  course  he  did  not  look  at  it  as  Katy  did,  for  he  knew 
that  according  to  all  civil  law  she  was  as  really  Wilford'^ 
wife  as  if  no  other  had  existed,  and  he  told  her  so,  but 
Katy  shook  her  head.  "  He  can't  have  two  wives  living. 
And  I  tell  you  I  knew  the  picture — Genevra  is  not  dead, 
I  have  seen  her;  I  have  talked  with  her, — Genevra  is  not 
dead." 

"  Granted  that  she  is  not,"  Morris  answered,  "  the 
divorce  remains  the  same." 

"  I  do  not  believe  in  divorces.  Whom  God  hath  joined 
together  let  not  man  put  asunder,"  Katy  said  with  an  air 
which  implied  that  from  this  argument  there  could  be  no 
appeal. 

"  That  is  the  Scripture,  I  know,"  Morris  replied,  "  but 
you  must  know  that  for  one  sin  our  Saviour  permitted  a 
man  to  put  away  his  wife,  thus  making  it  perfectly  right." 

"  But  in  Genevra's  case  the  sin  did  not  exist.  She 
was  as  innocent  as  I  am,  and  that  must  make  a  differ 
ence." 

She  was  very  earnest  in  her  attempts  to  prove  that 
Genevra  was  still  a  lawful  wife,  so  earnest  that  a  dark  sus 
picion  entered  Morris's  mind,  finding  vent  in  the  ques 
tion,  "  Katy,  don't  you  love  your  husband,  that  you  try 
so  hard  to  prove  he  is  not  yours  ?  " 

There  were  red  spots  all  over  Katy's  face  and  neck  as 
she  saw  the  meaning  put  upon  her  actions,  and,  covering 
her  face  with  her  hands,  she  sobbed  violently  as  she  re 
plied,  "  I  do,  oh,  yes,  I  do !  I  never  loved  any  one  else. 
I  would  have  died  for  him  once.  Maybe  I  would  die  for 
him  now;  but,  Morris,  he  is  disappointed  in  me.  Our 
tastes  are  not  alike,  and  we  made  a  great  mistake,  or  Wil- 
ford  did  when  he  took  me  for  his  wife.  I  was  better 
suited  to  most  anybody  else,  and  I  have  been  so  wicked 
since,  forgetting  all  the  good  I  ever  knew,  forgetting 
prayer  save  as  I  went  through  the  form  from  old  habit's 


The  Cameron  Pride.  297 

sake;  forgetting  God,  who  has  punished  me  so  sorely 
that  every  nerve  smarts  with  the  stinging  blows." 

Oh,  how  lovingly,  how  earnestly  Morris  talked  to  Katy 
then,  telling  her  of  Him  who  smites  but  to  heal,  who 
chastens  not  in  anger,  and  would  lead  the  lost  one  back 
into  the  quiet  fold  where  there  was  perfect  peace. 

And  Katy,  listening  eagerly,  with  her  great  blue  eyes 
fixed  upon  his  Lire,  felt  that  to  experience  that  of  which 
he  talked,  was  worth  more  than  all  the  world  beside. 
Gradually,  too,  there  stole  over  her  the  rest  she  always 
felt  with  him — the  indescribable  feeling  which  prompted 
her  to  care  for  nothing  except  to  do  just  what  he  bade 
her  do,  knowing  it  was  right;  so  when  he  said  to  her, 
"You  cannot  go  home  with  me,  Katy;  your  duty  is  to 
remain  here  in  your  husband's  house,"  she  offered  no  re 
monstrance.  Indeed,  Morris  doubted  if  she  fully  under 
stood  him,  she  looked  so  sick  and  appeared  so  strange. 

"  It  is  not  safe  for  you  to  be  alone.  Esther  must  stay 
with  you,"  he  continued,  feeling  her  rapid  pulse 
and  noticing  the  alternate  flushing  and  paling  of  her 
cheek. 

A  fever  was  coming  on,  he  feared,  and  summoning 
Esther  to  the  room,  he  said, 

"  Your  mistress  is  very  sick.  You  must  stay  with  her 
till  morning,  and  if  she  grows  worse,  let  me  know.  I 
shall  be  in  the  library." 

Then,  with  a  few  directions  with  regard  to  the  medi 
cine  he  fortunately  had  with  him,  he  left  the  chamber, 
and  repaired  to  the  library  below,  where  he  spent  the 
few  remaining  hours  of  the  night,  pondering  on  the 
strange  story  he  had  heard,  and  praying  for  poor  Katy 
whose  heart  had  been  so  sorely  wounded. 

The  quick-witted  Esther  saw  that  something  was  wrong, 
and  traced  it  readily  to  Wilford,  whose  exacting  nature 
she  thoroughly  understood.  She  had  not  been  blind  dur 
ing  the  two  years  and  a  half  she  had  been  Katy's  maid, 
and  DO  impatient  word  cf  Wilford'^,  or  frown  upon  his 
face,  had  escaped  her  when  occurring  in  her  presence, 
while  Katy's  uniform  sweetness  and  entire  submission 
to  his  will  had  been  noted  as  well,  so  that  in  Esther's 
opinion  Wilford  was  a  domestic  tvrant,  and  Katy  was  an 


298  The  Cameron  Pride. 

angel.  Numerous  were  her  conjectures  as  to  the  cause 
of  the  present  trouble,  which  must  be  something  serious, 
or  Katy  had  never  telegraphed  for  Dr.  Grant,  as  she  felt 
certain  she  had. 

"  Whatever  it  is,  I'll  stand  her  friend,"  she  said,  as  she 
bent  over  her  young  mistress,  who  was  talking  of  Genevra 
and  the  grave  at  St.  Mary's,  which  was  no  grave  at  all. 

She  was  growing  worse  very  rapidlv.  -i/ri  frightened  at 
last  at  the  wildness  of  her  eyes,  and  her  constant  rav 
ings,  Esther  went  down  to  Morris,  and  bade  him  come 
quickly  to  Mrs.  Cameron. 

"  Slie  is  taken  out  of  her  head,  and  talks  sc  queer  and 
raving." 

Morris  had  expected  this,  but  lie  was  not  prepared  to 
find  the  fever  so  high,  or  the  symptoms  so  alarming. 

"  Shall  I  send  for  Mrs.  Cameron  and  another  doctor, 
please  ?  "  Esther  asked. 

Morris  had  faith  in  himself,  and  he  would  rather  no 
other  hand  should  minister  to  Katy;  but  he  knew  he 
could  not  stay  there  long,  for  there  were  those  at  home 
who  needed  his  services.  Added  to  this,  her  family  physi 
cian  might  know  her  constitution,  now,  better  than  he 
knew  it,  and  so  he  answered  that  it  would  be  well  to  send 
for  both  the  doctor  and  Mrs.  Cameron. 

It  was  just  daylight  when  Mrs.  Cameron  arrived,  ques 
tioning  Esther  closely,  and  appearing  much  surprised 
when  she  heard  of  Dr.  Grant's  presence  in  the  house. 
That  he  came  by  chance,  she  never  doubted,  and  as 
Esther  merely  answered  the  questions  put  directly  to  her, 
Mrs.  Cameron  had  no  suspicion  of  the  telegram. 

"  I  am  glad  he  happened  here  at  this  time,"  she  said. 
"  I  have  the  utmost  confidence  in  his  skill.  Still  it  may 
l)e  well  for  Dr.  Craig  to  see  her.  I  think  that  is  his 
ring." 

The  city  and  country  physicians  agreed  exactly  with 
regard  to  Katy's  illness,  or  rather  the  city  physician 
bowed  in  acquiescence  when  Morris  said  to  him  that  the 
fever  raging  so  high  had,  perhaps,  been  induced  by  natural 
causes,  but  was  greatly  aggravated  by  some  sudden  shock 
to  the  nervous  system.  This  was  before  Mrs.  Cameron 
came  up,  but  it  was  repeated  in  her  presence  by  Dr.  Craig, 


The  Cameron  Pride.  299 

who  thus  left  the  impression  that  the  idea  had  originated 
with  himself,  rather  than  with  Dr.  Grant,  as  perhaps  he 
thought  it  had.  He  was  at  first  inclined  to  patronize  the 
country  doctor,  but  soon  found  that  he  had  reckoned  with 
out  his  host.  Morris  knew  more  of  Katy,  and  quite  as 
much  of  medicine  as  he  did  himself,  and  when  Mrs. 
Cameron  begged  him  to  stay  longer,  he  answered  that  her 
son's  wife  was  as  safe  in  his  brother  physician's  hands  as 
she  could  be  in  his. 

Mrs.  Cameron  was  very  glad  that  Dr.  Grant  was  there, 
she  said.  It  was  surely  Providence  who  sent  him  to  New 
York  on  that  particular  day,  and  Morris  shivered  as  he 
wondered  if  it  were  wrong  not  to  explain  the  whole  to 
her. 

"  Perhaps  it  is  best  she  should  not  know  of  the  tele 
gram,"  he  thought,  and  merely  bowing  to  her  remarks, 
he  turned  to  Katy,  who  was  growing  very  restless  and 
moaning  as  if  in  pain. 

"  It  hurts/'  he  said,  turning  her  head  from  side  to 
side;  "I  am  lying  on  Genevra." 

With  a  sudden  start,  Mrs.  Cameron  drew  nearer,  but 
when  she  remembered  the  little  grave  at  Silverton,  she 
said,  "  It's  the  baby  she's  talking  about." 

Morris  knew  better,  and  as  Katy  still  continued  to 
move  her  head  as  if  something  were  really  hurting  her, 
he  passed  his  hand  under  her  pillow  and  drew  out  the 
picture  she  must  have  kept  near  her  as  long  as  her  con 
sciousness  remained.  He  knew  it  was  Genevra's  picture, 
and  was  about  to  lay  it  away,  when  the  cover  dropped 
into  his  hand,  and  his  eye  fell  upon  a  face  which  was  not 
new  to  him,  while  an  involuntary  exclamation  of  sur 
prise  escaped  him,  as  Katy's  assertion  that  Genevra  was 
living  was  thus  fully  confirmed.  Marian  had  not  changed 
past  recognition  since  her  early  girlhood,  and  Morris  knew 
the  likeness  at  once,  pitying  Katy  more  than  he  had  pitied 
her  yet,  as  he  remembered  how  closely  Marian  Hazelton 
had  been  interwoven  with  her  married  life,  and  the  life 
of  the  little  child  which  had  borne  her  name. 

"  What  is  that  ? "  Mrs.  Cameron  asked,  and  Morris 
passed  the  case  to  her,  saying,  "A  picture  which  was 
under  Katy's  pillow." 


300  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Morris  did  not  look  at  Mrs.  Cameron,  but  tried  to 
busy  himself  with  the  medicines  upon  the  stand,  while 
she  too  recognized  Genevra  Lambert,  wondering  how  it 
came  in  Katy's  possession  and  how  much  she  knew  of 
Wilford's  secret. 

"  She  must  have  been  rummaging,"  she  thought,  and 
then  as  she  remembered  what  Esther  had  said  about  her 
mistress  appearing  sick  and  unhappy,  when  her  husband 
left  home,  she  repaired  to  the  parlor  and  summoning 
Esther  to  her  presence,  asked  her  again,  "  When  she  first 
observed  traces  of  indisposition  in  Mrs.  Cameron." 

"  When  she  came  home  from  that  dinner  at  your  house. 
She  was  just  as  pale  as  death,  and  her  teeth  fairly  chat 
tered  as  I  took  off  her  things." 

"Dinner?  What  dinner?"  Mrs.  Cameron  asked,  and 
Esther  replied,  "  Why,  the  night  Mr.  Wilford  went  away 
or  was  to  go.  She  changed  her  mind  about  meeting  him 
at  your  house,  and  said  she  meant  to  surprise  him.  But 
she  came  home  before  Mr.  Cameron,  looking  like  a  ghost, 
and  saying  she  was  sick.  It's  my  opinion  something  she 
ate  at  dinner  hurt  her." 

"Very  likely,  yes.  You  can  go  now,"  Mrs.  Cameron 
said,  and  Esther  departed,  never  dreaming  how  much  light 
she  had  inadvertently  thrown  upon  the  mystery. 

"  She  must  have  been  in  the  library  and  heard  all  we 
said,"  Mrs.  Cameron  thought,  as  she  nervously  twisted 
the  fringe  of  her  breakfast  shawl.  "  I  remember  we  talked 
of  Genevra,  and  that  we  both  heard  a  strange  sound  from 
some  quarter,  but  thought  it  came  from  the  kitchen.  That 
was  Katy.  She  was  there  all  the  time  and  let  herself 
quietly  out  of  the  house.  I  wonder  does  Wilford  know," 
and  then  there  came  over  her  an  intense  desire  for  Wil 
ford  to  come  home — a  desire  which  was  not  lessened  when 
she  returned  to  Katy's  room  and  heard  her  talking  of 
Genevra  and  the  grave  at  St.  Mary's  "where  nobody  was 
buried." 

In  a  tremor  of  distress,  lest  she  should  betray  some 
thing  which  Morris  must  not  know  Mrs.  Cameron  tried 
to  hush  her,  talking  as  if  it  was  the  baby  she  meant,  but 
Katy  answered  promptly,  "It's  Genevra  Lambert  I  mean, 
Wilford's  other  wife;  the  one  across  the  sea.  She  was 


The  Cameron  Pride.  301 

innocent,  too — as  innocent  as  I,  whom  you  both  de 
ceived." 

Here  was  a  phase  of  affairs  for  which  Mrs.  Cameron 
was  not  prepared,  and  excessively  mortified  that  Morris 
should  hear  Katy's  ravings,  she  tried  again  to  quiet  her, 
consoling  herself  with  the  reflection  that  as  Morris  was 
Katy's  cousin,  he  would  not  repeat  what  he  heard,  and 
feeling  gratified  now  that  Dr.  Craig  was  absent,  as  she 
could  not  be  so  sure  of  him.  If  Katy's  delirium  con 
tinued,  no  one  must  be  admitted  to  the  room  except  those 
who  could  be  trusted,  and  as  there  had  been  already 
several  rings,  she  said  to  Esther  that  as  the  fever  was 
probably  malignant  and  contagious,  no  one  must  be  ad 
mitted  to  the  house  with  the  expectation  of  seeing  the 
patient,  while  the  servants  were  advised  to  stay  in  their 
own  quarters,  except  as  their  services  might  be  needed 
elsewhere.  And  so  it  was  that  by  the  morrow  the  news 
had  spread  of  some  infectious  disease  at  'No.  —  on  Madi 
son  Square,  which  was  shunned  as  carefully  as  if  small 
pox  itself  had  been  raging  there  instead  of  the  brain  fever, 
which  increased  so  fast  that  Morris  suggested  to  Mrs. 
Cameron  that  she  telegraph  for  Wilford. 

"  They  might  find  him,  and  they  might  not,  Mother 
Cameron  said.  "  They  could  try,  at  all  events,"  and  in  a 
few  moments  the  telegraphic  wires  were  carrying  the 
news  of  Katy's  illness,  both  to  the  west,  where  Wilford 
had  gone,  and  to  the  east,  where  Helen  read  with  a 
blanched  cheek  that  Katy  perhaps  was  dying,  and  she 
must  hasten  to  New  York. 

This  was  Mrs.  Cameron's  suggestion,  wrung  out  by  the 
knowing  that  some  woman  besides  herself  was  needed  in 
the  sick-room,  and  by  feeling  that  Helen  could  be  trusted 
with  the  story  of  the  first  marriage,  which  Katy  talked  of 
constantly,  telling  it  so  accurately  that  only  a  fool  would 
fail  of  being  convinced  that  there  was  much  of  truth  in 
those  delirious  ravings. 


302  The  Cameron  Pride. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

THE  FEVER  AND  ITS  RESULTS. 

WILFORD  could  not  forget  Katy's  face,  so  full  of  re 
proach.  It  followed  him  continually,  and  was  the  magnet 
which  turned  his  steps  homeward  before  his  business  was 
quite  done,  and  before  the  telegram  had  found  him.  Thus 
it  was  with  no  knowledge  of  existing  circumstances  that 
he  reached  New  York  just  at  the  close  of  the  day,  and 
ordering  a  carriage,  was  driven  rapidly  towards  home. 
All  the  shutters  in  the  front  part  of  the  house  were 
closed,  and  not  a  ray  of  light  was  to  be  seen  in  the  par 
lors  as  he  entered  the  hall,  where  the  gas  was  burning 
dimly. 

"  Katy  is  at  home,"  he  said,  as  he  went  into  the  library, 
where  a  shawl  was  thrown  across  a  chair,  as  if  some  one 
had  lately  been  there. 

It  was  his  mother's  shawl,  and  Wilford  was  wondering 
if  she  was  there,  when  down  the  ^stairs  came  a  man's 
rapid  step,  and  the  next  moment  Dr!  Grant  came  into  the 
room,  starting  when  he  saw  Wilford,  who  felt  intuitively 
that  something  was  wrong. 

"  Is  Katy  sick  ?  "  was  his  first  question,  which  Morris 
answered  in  the  affirmative,  holding  him  back  as  he  was 
starting  for  her  room,  and  saying  to  him,  "Let  me  send 
your  mother  to  you  first." 

What  passed  between  Wilford  and  his  mother  was 
never  known  exactly,  but  at  the  close  of  the  interview 
Mrs.  Cameron  was  very  pale,  while  Wilford's  face  looked 
dark  and  anxious  as  he  said,  "You  think  he  understands 
it  then?" 

"  Yes,  in  part,  but  the  world  will  be  none  the  wiser 
for  his  knowledge.  I  knew  Dr.  Grant  before  you  did, 
and  there  are  few  men  living  whom  I  respect  as  much, 
and  no  one  whom  I  would  trust  as  soon." 

Mrs.  Cameron  had  paid  a  high  compliment  to  Morris 


The  Cameron  Pride.  303 

Grant,  and  Wilford  bowed  in  assent,  asking  next  how 
she  managed  Dr.  Craig. 

"  That  was  easy,  inasmuch  as  he  believed  it  an  insane 
freak  of  Katy's  to  have  no  other  physician  than  her  cousin. 
It  was  quite  natural,  he  said,  adding  that  she  was  as  safe 
with  Dr.  Grant  as  any  one.  And  I  was  glad,  for  I  could 
not  have  a  stranger  know  of  that  affair.  You  will  go 
up  now/'  Mrs.  Cameron  continued,  and  a  moment  after 
Wilford  stood  in  the  dimly-lighted  room,  where  Katy  was 
talking  of  Genevra  and  St.  Mary's,  and  was  only  kept 
upon  her  pillow  by  the  strong  arm  of  Morris,  who  stood 
over  her  when  Wilford  entered,  trying  in  vain  to  quiet 
her. 

She  knew  him,  and  writhing  herself  away  from  Morris's 
arms,  she  said  to  him,  "  Genevra  is  not  in  that  grave  at 
St.  Mary's;  she  is  living,  and  you  are  not  my  husband. 
So  you  can  leave  the  house  at  once.  Morris  will  settle 
the  estate,  and  no  bill  shall  be  sent  in  for  your  board  and 
lodging. 

In  some  moods  Wilford  would  have  smiled  at  being  thus 
summarily  dismissed  from  his  own  house;  but  he  was  too 
sore  now,  too  sensitive  to  smile,  and  his  voice  was  rathei 
severe  as  he  laid  his  hand  on  Katy's  and  said, 

"  Don't  be  foolish,  Katy.  Don't  you  know  me  ?  I  am 
Wilford,  your  husband." 

"  That  was,  you  mean,"  Katy  rejoined,  drawing  hen 
hand  quickly  away.  "  Go  find  your  first  love,  where  buL 
lets  fall  like  hail,  and  where  there  is  pain,  and  blood,  and 
carnage.  Genevra  is  there." 

She  would  not  let  him  come  near  her,  and  grew  so  ex 
cited  with  his  presence  that  he  was  forced  either  to  leave 
the  room  or  sit  where  she  could  not  see  him.  He  chose 
the  latter,  and  from  his  seat  by  the  door  watched  with  a 
half  jealous,  angry  heart,  Morris  Grant  doing  for  his  wife 
what  he  should  have  done. 

With  Morris  Katy  was  gentle  as  a  little  child,  talking 
still  of  Genevra,  but  talking  quietly,  and  in  a  way  which 
did  not  wear  her  out  as  fast  as  her  excitement  did. 

"  What  God  hath  joined  together  let  not  man  put  asun 
der/'  was  the  text  from  which  she  preached  several  short 
sermons  as  the  night  wore  on,  but  just  as  the  morning 


304  The  Cameron  Pride. 

dawned  she  fell  into  the  first  quiet  sleep  she  had  had  dur 
ing  the  last  twenty-four  hours.  And  while  she  slept 
Wilford  ventured  near  enough  to  see  the  sunken  cheeks 
and  hollow  eyes  which  wrung  a  groan  from  him  as  he 
turned  to  Morris,  and  asked  what  he  supposed  was  the 
immediate  cause  of  her  sudden  illness? 

"A  terrible  shock,  the  nature  of  which  I  understand, 
but  you  have  nothing  to  fear  from  me,"  Morris  replied. 
"  I  accuse  you  to  no  man,  but  leave  vou  to  settle  it  with 
your  conscience  whether  you  did  right  to  receive  her  so 
long." 

Morris  spoke  as  one  having  authority,  and  Wilford 
simply  bowed  his  head,  feeling  n«  resentment  towards 
one  who  had  ventured  to  reprove  \im.  Afterwards  he 
might  remember  it  differently,  but  now  he  was  too  anx 
ious  to  keep  Morris  there  to  quarrel  with  him,  and  so  he 
made  no  reply,  but  sat  watching  Katy  as  she  slept,  won 
dering  if  she  would  die,  and  feeling  how  terrible  life 
would  be  without  her.  Suddenly  Genevra's  warning  words 
rang  in  his  ear. 

"  God  will  not  forgive  you  for  the  wrong  vou  have  done 
me." 

Was  Genevra  right?  Had  God  reme?nbered  all  this 
time,  and  overtaken  him  at  last?  It  might  be,  and  with 
a  groan  Wilford  hid  his  face  in  his  liands,  believing  that 
he  repented  of  his  sin,  and  not  knowing  that  his  fancied 
repentance  arose  merely  from  the  fact  that  he  had  been 
detected.  Could  the  last  few  days  be  blotted  out,  and 
Katy  stand  just  where  she  did,  with  no  suspicion  of  him, 
he  would  have  cast  his  remorse  to  the  winds,  and  as  it  is 
not  such  repentance  God  accepts,  Wilford  had  only  begun 
to  sip  the  cup  of  retribution  presented  to  his  lips. 

Worn  out  with  watching  and  waiting,  Mrs.  Cameron, 
who  would  suffer  neither  Juno  nor  Bell  to  come  near  the 
house,  waited  uneasily  for  the  arrival  of  the  New  Haven 
train,  which  she  hoped  would  bring  Helen  to  her  aid. 
Under  ordinary  circumstances  she  would  rather  not  have 
met  her,  for  her  presence  would  keep  the  letter  so  con 
stantly  in  mind;  but  now  anybody  who  could  be  trusted 
was  welcome,  and  when  at  last  there  came  a  cautious  ring, 
she  went  herself  to  the  hall,  starting  back  with  undis- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  305 

guised  vexation  when  she  saw  the  timid-looking  woman 
following  close  behind  Helen,  and  whom  the  latter  pre 
sented  as  "  My  mother,  Mrs.  Lennox." 

Convinced  that  Morris's  sudden  journey  to  New  York 
had  something  to  do  with  Katy's  illness,  and  almost  dis 
tracted  with  fears  for  her  daughter's  life,  Mrs.  Lennox 
could  not  remain  at  home  and  wait  for  the  tardy  mail  or 
careless  telegraph.  She  must  go  to  her  child,  and  cast 
ing  off  her  dread  of  Wilford's  displeasure,  she  had  come 
with  Helen,  and  was  bowing  meekly  to  Mrs.  Cameron, 
who  neither  offered  her  hand  nor  gave  any  token  of  greet 
ing  except  a  distant  bow  and  a  simple  "  Good  morning, 
madam." 

But  Mrs.  Lennox  was  too  anxious  to  notice  the  lady's 
haughty  manner  as  she  led  them  to  the  library  and  then 
went  for  her  son.  Wilford  was  not  glad  to  see  his  mother- 
in-law,  but  he  tried  to  be  polite,  answering  her  questions 
civilly,  and  when  she  asked  if  it  were  true  that  he  had 
sent  for  Morris,  assuring  her  that  it  was  not.  "  Dr. 
Grant  happened  here  very  providentially,  and  I  hope  to 
keep  him  until  the  crisis  is  past,  although  he  has  just  told 
me  he  must  go  back  to-morrow."  It  hurt  Wilford's  pride 
that  she,  whom  he  considered  greatly  his  inferior,  should 
learn  his  secret;  but  it  could  not  now  be  helped,  and 
within  an  hour  after  her  arrival  she  was  looking  curiously 
at  him  for  an  explanation  of  the  strange  things  she  heard 
from  Katy's  lips. 

"  Was  you  a  widower  whtn  you  married  my  daughter  ?  " 
she  said  to  him,  when  at  last  Helen  left  the  room  and 
she  was  alone  with  him. 

"Yes,  madam,"  he  replied,  "some  would  call  me  so, 
though  I  was  divorced  from  my  wife.  As  this  was  a  mat 
ter  which  did  not  in  any  way  concern  your  daughter,  I 
deemed  it  best  not  to  tell  her.  Latterly  she  has  found  it 
out,  and  it  is  having  a  very  extraordinary  effect  upon 
her." 

And  this  was  all  Mrs.  Lennox  knew  until  alone  with 
Helen,  who  told  her  the  story  as  she  had  heard  it  from 
Morris.  His  sudden  journey  to  New  York  was  thus  ac 
counted  for,  and  Helen  explained  it  to  her  mother,  ad 
vising  her  to  say  nothing  of  it,  as  it  might  be  better  for 


306  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Wilford  not  to  know  that  Katy  had  telegraphed  for  Mor 
ris.  It  seemed  very  necessary  that  Dr.  Grant  should  re 
turn  to  Silverton,  and  the  day  following  Helen's  arrival 
in  Xew  York,  he  made  arrangements  to  do  so. 

"  You  have  other  physicians  here,"  he  said  to  Wil 
ford,  who  objected  to  his  leaving.  "  Dr.  Craig  will  do  as 
well  as  I." 

"Wilford  admitted  that  he  might,  but  it  was  with  a  sink 
ing  heart  that  he  saw  Morris  depart,  and  then  went  to 
Katy,  who  began  to  grow  very  restless  and  uneasy,  bid 
ding  him  go  away  and  send  Dr.  Morris  back.  It  was  in 
vain  that  they  administered  the  medicine  just  as  Morris 
directed.  Katy  grew  constantly  worse,  until  Mrs.  Lennox 
asked  that  another  doctor  be  called.  But  to  this  Wilford 
would  not  listen.  Fear  of  exposure  and  censure  was 
stronger  than  his  fears  for  Katy's  life,  which  seemed 
balancing  upon  a  thread  as  that  long  night  and  the  next 
day  went  by.  Three  times  Wilford  telegraphed  for  Mor 
ris,  and  it  was  with  unfeigned  jov  that  he  welcomed  him 
back  at  last,  and  heard  that  he  had  so  arranged  his  busi 
ness  as  to  stay  with  Katy  while  the  danger  lasted. 

With  a  monotonous  sameness  the  days  now  came  and 
went,  people  still  shunning  the  house  as  if  the  plague  was 
there.  Once,  Bell  Cameron  came  round  to  call  on  Helen, 
holding  her  breath  as  she  passed  through  the  hall,  and 
never  asking  to  go  near  Katy's  room.  Two  or  three  times, 
too,  Mrs.  Banker's  carriage  stood  at  the  door,  and  Mrs. 
Banker  herself  came  in,  appearing  so  cool  and  distant  that 
Helen  could  scarcely  keep  back  her  tears  as  she  guessed 
the  cause.  Mark,  too,  was  in  the  city,  having  returned 
with  the  Seventh  Regiment;  but  from  Esther,  Helen 
learned  that  he  was  about  joining  the  army  as  captain  of  a 
company,  composed  of  the  finest  men  in  the  city.  The 
next  she  heard  was  from  Mrs.  Banker,  who,  incidentally, 
remarked,  "  I  shall  be  very  lonely  now  that  Mark  is  gone. 
He  left  me  to-day  for  Washington."' 

There  were  tears  on  the  mother's  fa^e,  and  her  lip 
quivered  as  she  tried  to  keep  them  back,  by  looking  from 
the  window  into  the  street,  instead  of  at  her  companion, 
who,  overcome  with  the  rush  of  feeling  which  swept  over 
.her,  laid  her  face  on  the  sofa  arm  and  sobbed  aloud. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  307 

"  Why,  Helen  !  Miss  Lennox,  I  am  surprised !  I  had 
supposed — I  was  not  aware — I  did  not  think  you  would 
care,"  Mrs.  Banker  exclaimed,  coming  closer  to  Helen, 
who  stammered  out,  "  I  beg  you  will  excuse  me,  I  cannot 
help  it.  I  care  for  all  our  soldiers.  It  seems  so  terrible/' 

At  the  words  "  I  care  for  all  the  soldiers,"  a  shadow  of 
disappointment  flitted  over  Mrs.  Banker's  face.  She  knew 
her  son  had  offered  himself  and  been  refused,  as  she  sup 
posed;  and  she  believed  too  that  Helen  had  given  pub 
licity  to  the  affair,  fueling  justly  indignant  at  this  breach 
of  confidence  and  lack  of  delicacy  in  one  whom  she  had 
liked  so  much,  and  whom  she  still  liked,  in  spite  of  the 
wounded  pride  which  had  prompted  her  to  appear  so  cold 
and  distant. 

"  Perhaps  it  is  all  a  mistake,"  she  thought,  as  she  con 
tinued  standing  by  Helen,  "or  it  may  be  she  has  re 
lented,"  and  for  a  moment  she  felt  tempted  to  ask  why 
her  boy  had  been  refused. 

But  Mark  would  not  be  pleased  with  her  interference, 
she  knew,  and  so  the  golden  moment  fled,  and  when  she 
left  the  house,  the  misunderstanding  between  herself  and 
Helen  was  just  as  wide  as  ever.  Wearily  after  that  the 
days  passed  with  Helen  until  all  thoughts  of  herself  were 
forgotten  in  the  terrible  fear  that  death  was  really  brood 
ing  over  the  pillow  where  Katy  lay,  insensible  to  all  that 
was  passing  around  her.  The  lips  were  silent  now,  and 
Wilford  had  nothing  to  fear  from  the  tongue  hitherto  so 
busy.  Juno,  Bell,  and  father  Cameron  all  came  to  see 
her,  dropping  tears  upon  the  face  looking  so  old  and 
worn  with  suffering.  Mrs.  Cameron,  too,  was  very  sorry, 
very  sad,  but  managed  to  find  some  consolation  in  men 
tally  arranging  a  grand  funeral,  which  would  do  honor 
to  her  son,  and  wondering  if  "those  Barlows  in  Silver- 
ton  would  think  they  must  attend."  And  while  she  thus 
arranged,  the  mother  who  had  given  birth  to  Katy  wrestled 
in  earnest  prayer  that  God  would  spare  her  child,  or  at 
least  grant  some  space  in  which  she  might  be  told  of  the 
world  to  which  she  was  hastening.  What  Wilford  suf 
fered  none  could  guess.  His  face  was  very  white,  and 
its  expression  almost  stern,  as  he  sat  by  the  young  wife 
who  had  been  his  for  little  more  than  two  brief  years, 


308  The  Cameron  Pride. 

and  who,  but  for  his  sin,  might  not  have  been  lying  there, 
unconscious  of  the  love  and  grief  around  her.  With  lip 
compressed,  and  brows  firmly  knit  together,  Morris,  too, 
sat  watching  Katy,  feeling  for  the  pulse,  and  bending 
his  ear  to  catch  the  faintest  breath  which  came  from  her 
parted  lips,  while  in  his  heart  there  was  an  earnest  prayer 
for  the  safety  of  the  soul,  hovering  so  evenly  between  this 
world  and  the  next.  He  did  not  ask  that  she  might  live, 
for  if  all  were  well  hereafter  he  knew  it  was  better  for  her 
to  die  in  her  young  womanhood,  than  to  live  till  the 
heart,  now  so  sad  and  bleeding,  had  grown  callosed  with 
sorrow.  And  yet  it  was  terrible  to  think  of  Katy  dead; 
terrible  to  think  of  that  face  and  form  laid  away  beneath 
the  turf  of  Greenwood,  where  those  who  loved  her  best 
could  seldom  go  to  weep. 

And  as  they  sat  there  thus,  the  night  shadows  stole  into 
the  room,  and  the  hours  crept  on  till  from  a  city  tower 
a  clock  struck  ten,  and  Morris,  motioning  Helen  to  his 
side,  bade  her  go  with  her  mother  to  rest.  "  We  do  not 
need  you  here,"  he  said;  "your  presence  can  do  no  good. 
Should  a  change  occur,  you  shall  be  told  at  once/3 

Thus  importuned,  Helen  and  her  mother  withdrew,  and 
only  Morris  and  WTilford  remained  to  watch  that  heavy 
slumber,  so  nearly  resembling  deatb. 


CHAPTEE  XXXVII. 

THE   CONFESSION. 

GRADUALLY,  the  noise  in  the  streets  died  away;  the 
tread  of  feet,  the  rumbling  wheels,  and  the  tinkle  of  car 
bells  ceased,  and  not  a  sound  was  heard,  save  as  the  dis 
tant  fire  bells  pealed  forth. their  warning  voices,  or  some 
watchman  went  hurrying  by.  The  great  city  was  asleep, 
and  to  Morris  the  silence  brooding  over  the  countless 
throng  was  deeper,  more  solemn,  than  the  silence  of  the 
country,  where  nature  gives  out  her  own  mysterious  notes 
and  lullabies  for  her  sleeping  children.  Slowly  the  minutes 
went  by,  and  Morris  became  at  last  aware  that  Wilford's 


The  Cameron  Pride.  309 

eyes,  instead  of  resting  on  the  pallid  face,  which  seemed 
to  grow  each  moment  more  pallid  and  ghastly,  were  fixed 
on  him  with  an  expression  which  made  him  drop  the  pale 
hand  he  was  holding  between  his  own,  pooring  it  occasion 
ally,  as  a  mother  might  poor  and  pity  the  hand  of  her 
dying  baby. 

Before  his  marriage,  a  jealous  thought  of  Morris  Grant 
had  found  a  lodgment  in  Wilfoid's  breast;  but  he  had 
tried  to  drive  it  out,  and  fancied  that  he  had  succeeded, 
experiencing  a  sudden  shock  when  he  felt  it  lifting  its 
green  head,  and  poisoning  his  mind  against  the  man  who 
was  doing  for  Katy  only  what  a  brother  might  do.  He 
forgot  that  it  was  his  own  entreaties  which  kept  Morris 
there,  away  from  his  Silverton  patients,  who  were  missing 
him  so  much,  and  complaining  of  his  absence.  Jealous 
men  never  reason  clearly,  and  in  this  case,  Wilford  did 
not  reason  at  all,  but  jumped  readily  at  his  conclusion, 
calling  to  his  aid  as  proof  all  that  he  had  ever  seen  pass 
between  Katy  and  her  cousin.  That  Morris  Grant  loved 
Katy  was,  after  a  few  moments'  reflection,  as  fixed  a  fact 
in  his  mind,  as  that  she  lay  there  between  them,  moaning 
feebly,  as  if  about  to  speak.  Years  before,  jealousy  had 
made  Wilford  almost  a  madman,  and  it  now  held  him 
again  in  its  powerful  grasp,  whispering  suggestions  he 
would  have  spurned  in  a  calm  frame  of  mind.  There 
was  a  clenching  of  his  fist,  a  knitting  of  his  brows,  and 
a  gathering  blackness  in  his  eyes  as  he  listened  while 
Katy,  rousing  partially  from  her  lethargy,  talked  of  the 
days  when  she  was  a  little  girl,  and  Morris  had  built  the 
play-house  for  her  by  the  brook,  where  the  thorn-apples 
grew  and  the  waters  fell  over  the  smooth,  white  rocks. 

*  Take  me  back  there/'  she  said,  "  and  let  me  lie  on 
the  grass  again.  It  is  so  long  since  I  was  there,  and  I've 
suffered  so  much  since  then.  Wilford  meant  to  be  kind, 
but  he  did  not  understand  or  know  how  I  loved  the 
country  with  its  birds  and  flowers  and  the  grass  by  the 
well,  where  the  shadows  come  and  go.  I  used  to  wonder 
where  they  were  going,  and  one  day  when  I  watched  them 
I  was  waiting  for  Wilford  and  wondering  if  he  would 
ever  come  again.  Would  it  have  been  better  if  he  never 
had?" 


3io  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Wilford's  body  shook  as  he  bent  forward  to  listen,  while 
Katy  continued: 

"  Were  there  no  Genevra,  I  should  not  think  so,  but 
there  is,  and  yet  Morris  said  that  made  no  difference 
when  I  telegraphed  for  him  to  come  and  take  me 


away." 


Morris  felt  keenly  the  awkwardness  of  his  position,  but 
he  could  offer  no  explanation  then.  He  could  not  speak 
with  those  fiery  eyes  upon  him,  and  he  sat  erect  in  his 
chair,  while  Katy  talked  of  Silverton,  until  her  voice 
grew  very  faint,  ceasing  at  last  as  she  fell  into  a  second 
sleep,  heavier,  more  deathlike,  than  the  first.  Something 
in  her  face  alarmed  Morris,  and  in  spite  of  the  eyes 
watching  him  he  bent  every  energy  to  retain  the  feeble 
pulse,  and  the  breath  which  grew  shorter  with  each  respira 
tion. 

"  Do  you  think  her  dying  ? "  Wilford  asked,  and  Mor 
ris  replied,  "  The  look  about  the  mouth  ar  .1  nose  is  like 
the  look  which  so  often  precedes  death/' 

And  that  was  all  they  said  until  another  hour  went  by, 
when  Morris's  hand  was  laid  upon  the  forehead  and 
moved  up  under  the  golden  hair  where  there  were  drops 
of  perspiration. 

"  She  is  saved !  thank  God,  Katy  is  saved ! "  was  his 
joyful  exclamation,  and  burying  his  'face  in  his  hands, 
he  wept  for  a  moment  like  a  child. 

On  Wilford's  face  there  was  no  trace  of  tears.  On  the 
contrary,  he  seemed  hardening  into  stone,  and  in  his 
heart  fierce  passions  were  contending  for  the  mastery. 
What  did  Katy  mean  by  sending  for  Morris  to  take  her 
away?  Did  she  send  for  him,  and  was  that  the  cause  of 
his  being  there?  If  so,  ther«  was  something  between 
the  cousins  more  than  mere  friendship.  The  thought  was 
a  maddening  one.  And,  rising  slowly  at  last,  Wilford 
came  round  to  Morris's  side,  and  grasping  his  shoulder, 
said, 

"  Morris  Grant,  you  love  Katy  Cameron." 

Like  the  peal  of  a  bell  on  the  frosty  air  the  words  rang 
through  the  room,  starting  Morris  from  his  bowed  atti 
tude,  and  for  an  instant  curdling  the  blood  in  his  veins, 
for  he  understood  now  the  meaning  of  the  look  which 


The  Cameron  Pride.  311 

had  so  puzzled  him.  In  Morris's  heart  there  was  a  mo 
ment's  hesitancy  to  know  just  what  to  answer — an  ejacu- 
latory  prayer  for  guidance — and  then  lifting  up  his  head, 
his  calm  blue  eyes  met  the  eyes  of  black  unflinchingly  as 
he  replied, 

"  I  have  loved  her  always." 

A  blaze  like  sheet  lightning  shot  from  beneath  Wilford's 
eyelashes,  and  a  taunting  sneer  curled  his  lip  as  he  said, 
"  "  You,  a  saint,  confess  to  this  ?  " 

It  was  in  keeping  with  human  nature  for  Wilford  to 
thrust  Morris's  religion  in  his  face,  forgetting  that  never 
on  this  side  the  eternal  world  can  man  cease  wholly  to 
sin;  that  so  long  as  flesh  and  blood  remain,  there  will  bo 
temptation,  error,  and  wrong,  even  among  God's  chil 
dren.  Morris  felt  the  sneer  keenly;  but  the  consciousness 
of  peace  with  his  Maker  sustained  him  in  the  shock, 
and  with  the  same  tone  he  had  at  first  assumed,  he 
said, 

"  Should  my  being  what  you  call  a  saint  prevent  my 
confessing  what  I  did  ?  " 

"  No,  not  the  confession,  but  the  fact,"'  Wilford  an 
swered,  savagely.  "  How  do  you  reconcile  your  acknowl 
edged  love  for  Katy  with  trie  injunctions  of  the  Bible 
whose  doctrines  you  indorse?" 

te  A  man  cannot  always  control  his  feelings,  but  he 
can  strive  to  overcome  them  and  put  them  aside.  One 
does  not  sin  in  being  tempted,  but  in  listening  to  the  temp 
tation." 

"  Then  according  to  your  own  reasoning  you  have 
sinned,  for  you  not  only  have  been  tempted  but  have 
yielded  to  the  temptation,"  Wilford  retorted,  with  a  sin 
ister  look  of  exultation  in  his  black  eyes. 

For  a  moment  Morris  was  silent,  while  a  struggle  of 
some  kind  seemed  going  on  in  his  mind,  and  then  he 
said, 

"  I  never  thought  to  lay  open  to  you  a  secret  which, 
after  myself,  is,  I  believe,  known  to  only  one  living  be 
ing." 

"  And  that  one — is — is  Katy  ?  "  Wilford  exclaimed,  his 
voice  hoarse  with  passion,  and  his  eyes  flashing  with  fire. 

"No,  not  Katy.     She  has  no  suspicion   of  the  pain 


312  The  Cameron  Pride. 

which,  since  I  saw  her  made  another's,  has  eaten  into  my 
heart,  making  me  grow  old  so  fast,  and  blighting  my 
early  manhood/' 

Something  in  Morris's  tone  and  manner  made  Wilford 
relax  his  grasD  upon  the  arm,  and  sent  him  back  to  his 
chair  while  Morris  continued, 

"  Most  men  would  shrink  from  talking  to  a  husband 
of  the  love  they  bore  his  wife,  and  an  hour  ago  I  should 
have  shrunk  from  it  too,  but  you  have  forced  me  to  it,  and 
now  you  must  listen  while  I  tell  you  of  my  love  for  Katy. 
It  began  longer  ago  than  she  can  remember — began  when 
she  was  my  baby  sister,  and  I  hushed  her  in  my  arms  to 
sleep,  kneeling  by  her  cradle  and  watching  her  with  a 
feeling  I  have  never  been  able  to  define.  She  was  in  all 
my  thoughts,  her  face  upon  the  printed  page  of  every  book 
I  studied,  and  her  voice  in  every  strain  of  music  I  ever 
heard.  Then  when  she  grew  older,  I  used  to  watch  the 
frolicsome  child  by  the  hour,  building  castles  of  the  fu 
ture,  when  she  would  be  a  woman,  and  I  a  man,  with  a 
man's  right  to  win  her.  I  know  that  she  shielded  me 
from  many  a  snare  into  which  young  men  are  apt  to 
fall,  for  when  the  temptation  was  greatest,  and  I  was  at 
its  verge,  a  thought  of  her  was  sufficient  to  lead  me  back 
to  virtue.  I  carried  her  in  my  heart  across  the  sea,  and 
said  when  I  go  back  I  will  ask  her  to  Jbe  mine.  I  went 
back,  but  at  my  first  meeting  with  Katy  after  her  return 
from  Canandaigua,  she  told  me  of  you,  and  I  knew  then 
that  hope  for  me  was  gone.  God  grant  that  you  may 
never  experience  what  I  experienced  on  that  day  which 
made  her  your  wife,  and  I  saw  her  go  away.  It  seemed 
almost  as  if  God  had  forgotten  me  as  the  night  after  the 
bridal  I  sat  alone  at  home,  and  met  that  dark  hour  of 
sorrow.  In  the  midst  of  it  Helen  came,  discovering  my 
secret,  and  sympathizing  with  me  until  the  pain  at  my 
heart  grew  less,  and  I  could  pray  that  God  would  grant 
me  a  feeling  for  Katy  which  should  not  be  sinful.  And 
He  did  at  last,  so  I  could  think  of  her  without  a  wish  that 
she  was  mine.  Times  there  were  when  the  old  love  would 
burst  forth  with  fearful  power,  and  then  I  wished  that  I 
might  die.  These  were  my  moments  of  temptation  which 


The  Cameron  Pride.  313 

I  struggled  to  overcome.  Sometimes  a  song,  a  strain  of 
music,  or  a  ray  of  moonlight  on  the  floor  would  bring  the 
past  to  me  so  vividly  that  I  would  stagger  beneath  the 
burden,  and  feel  that  it  was  greater  than  I  could  bear. 
But  God  was  very  merciful,  and  sent  me  work  which  took 
np  all  my  time,  and  drove  me  away  from  my  own  pain 
to  soothe  the  pain  of  others.  When  Katy  came  to  us 
last  summer  there  was  an  hour  of  trial,  when  faith  in  God 
grew  weak,  and  I  was  tempted  to  question  the  justice  of 
His  dealing  with  me.  But  that  too  passed,  and  in  my 
love  for  your  child  I  forgot  the  mother  in  part,  looking 
upon  her  as  a  sister  rather  than  the  Katy  I  had  loved 
so  well.  I  would  have  given  my  life  to  have  saved  that 
child  for  her,  even  though  it  was  a  bar  between  us,  some 
thing  which  separated  her  from  me  more  than  the  words 
she  spoke  at  the  altar.  Though  dead,  that  baby  is  still  a 
bar,  and  Katy  is  not  the  same  to  me  she  was  before  that 
little  life  came  into  being.  It  is  not  wrong  to  love  her 
as  I  do  now.  I  feel  no  pang  of  conscience  save  when 
something  unexpected  carries  me  back  to  the  old  ground 
where  I  have  fought  so  many  battles." 

Morris  paused  a  moment,  while  Wilford  said,  "  She 
spoke  of  telegraphing  for  you.  Why  was  that,  and 
when?" 

Thus  interrogated,  Morris  told  of  the  message  which 
had  brought  him  to  New  York,  and  narrated  as  cautiously 
as  possible  the  particulars  of  the  interview  which  fol 
lowed. 

Morris's  manner  was  that  of  a  man  who  spoke  with 
perfect  sincerity,  and  it  carried  conviction  to  Wilford's 
heart,  disarming  him  for  a  time  of  the  fierce  anger  and 
resentment  he  had  felt  while  listening  to  Morris's  story. 
Acting  upon  the  good  impulse  of  the  moment,  he  arose, 
and  offering  his  hand  to  Morris,  said, 

"  Forgive  me  that  I  ever  doubted  you.  It  was  natural 
that  you  should  come,  but  foolish  in  Katy  to  send  or 
think  Genevra  is  living.  I  have  seen  her  grave  myself.  I 
know  that  she  is  dead.  Did  Katy  name  any  one  whom 
she  believed  to  be  Genevra  ?  " 

"  No  one.  She  merelv  said  she  had  seen  the  original 
of  the  picture,"  Morris  replied. 


314  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"A  fancy, — a  mere  whim,"  Wilford  muttered  to  him 
self,  as,  greatly  disquieted  and  terribly  humbled,  he  paced 
the  room  moodily,  trying  not  to  think  hard  thoughts 
either  against  his  wife  or  Dr.  Grant,  who,  feeling  that  it 
would  be  pleasanter  for  Wilford  if  he  were  gone,  sug 
gested  returning  to  Silverton  at  once,  inasmuch  as  the 
crisis  was  past  and  Katy  out  of  danger.  There  was  a 
struggle  in  Wilford's  mind  as  to  the  answer  he  should 
make  to  this  suggestion,  but  at  last  he  signified  his 
willingness  for  the  doctor  to  leave  when  he  thought 
best. 

It  was  broad  day  when  Katy  woke,  so  weak  as  to  be 
unable  to  turn  her  head  upon  the  pillow,  but  in  her  eyes 
the  light  of  reason  was  shining,  and  she  glanced  won- 
deringly,  first  at  Helen,  who  had  come  in,  and  then  at 
Wilford,  as  if  trying  to  comprehend  what  had  happened. 

"  Have  I  been  sick  ?  "  she  asked  in  a  whisper,  and  Wil 
ford,  bending  over  her,  replied,  "  Yes,  very  sick  for  nearly 
two  whole  weeks — ever  since  I  left  home  that  morning, 
you  know  ?  " 

"Yes,"  and  Katy  shivered  a  little.  "Yes,  I  know. 
But  where  is  Morris?  He  was  here  the  last  I  can  re 
member." 

Wilford's  face  grew  dark  at  once,  and  stepping  back  as 
Morris  came  in,  he  said,  "  She  asks  fon  you."  Then  with 
a  rising  feeling  of  resentment  he  watched  them,  while 
Morris  spoke  to  Katy,  telling  her  she  must  not  allow  her 
self  in  any  way  to  be  excited. 

"Have  I  been  crazy?  Have  I  talked  much?"  she 
asked;  and  when  Morris  replied  in  the  affirmative,  she 
said,  "  Of  whom  have  I  talked  most  ?  " 

"  Of  Genevra,"  was  the  answer,  and  Katy  continued, 

"  Did  I  mention  any  one  else  ?  " 

Morris  guessed  of  whom  she  was  thinking,  and  answered 
indifferently,  "You  spoke  of  Miss  Hazelton  in  connec 
tion  with  baby,  but  that  was  all." 

Katy  was  satisfied,  and  closing  her  eyes  fell  away  to 
sleep  again,  while  Morris  made  his  preparations  for  leav 
ing.  It  hardly  seemed  right  for  him  to  go  just  then,  but 
the  only  one  who  could  have  kept  him  maintained  a 
frigid  silence  with  regard  to  a  longer  stay,  and  so  the 


The  Cameron  Pride.  315 

first  train  which  left  New  York  for  Springfield  carried 
Dr.  Grant,  and  Katy  was  without  a  physician. 

Wilford  had  hoped  that  Mrs.  Lennox,  too,  would  see 
the  propriety  of  accompanying  Morris,  but  she  would  i^t 
leave  Katy,  and  Wilford  was  fain  to  submit  to  what  ho 
could  not  help.  No  explanation  whatever  had  he  given 
to  Mrs.  Lennox  or  Helen  with  regard  to  Genevra.  He 
was  too  proud  for  that,  but  his  mother  had  deemed  it 
wise  to  smooth  the  matter  over  as  much  as  possible,  and 
enjoin  upon  them  both  the  necessity  of  secrecy. 

"When  I  tell  you  that  neither  my  husband  nor  daugh 
ters  know  it,  you  will  understand  that  I  am  greatly  in 
earnest  in  wishing  it  kept,"  she  said.  "It  was  a  most 
unfortunate  affair,  and  though  the  divorce  is,  of  course, 
to  be  lamented,  it  is  better  that  she  died.  We  never  could 
have  received  her  as  our  equal." 

"  Was  anything  the  matter,  except  that  she  was  poor  ?  " 
Mrs.  Lennox  asked,  with  as  much  dignity  as  was  in  her 
nature  to  assume. 

"  Well,  no.  She  had  a  good  education,  I  believe,  and 
was  very  pretty;  but  it  makes  trouble  always  where  there 
is  a  great  inequality  between  a  husband's  family  and  that 
of  his  wife." 

Poor  Mrs.  Lennox  understood  this  perfectly,  but  she 
was  too  much  afraid  of  the  great  lady  to  venture  a  reply, 
and  a  tear  rolled  down  her  cheek  as  she  wet  the  napkin 
for  Katy's  head,  and  wished  she  had  bad:  ;igain  the 
daughter  whose  family  the  Camerons  despised.  The  at 
mosphere  of  Madison  Square  did  not  suit  Mrs.  Lennox, 
especially  when,  as  the  days  went  by  and  Katy  began  to 
amend,  troops  of  gay  ladies  called,  mistaking  her  for  the 
nurse,  and  staring  a  little  curiously  when  told  slie  was 
Mrs.  Cameron's  mother.  Of  course  Wilford  chafed  and 
fretted  at  what  he  could  not  help,  making  himself  so  gen 
erally  disagreeable  that  Helen  at  last  suggested  returning 
home.  There  was  a  faint  remonstrance  on  his  part,  but 
Helen  did  not  waver  in  her  decision,  and  the  next  day 
was  fixed  upon  for  her  departure. 

"  You  don't  know  how  I  dread  your  going,  or  how 
wretched  I  shall  be  without  you,"  Katy  said,  when  for  a 
few  moments  they  were  alone.  "Everything  which  once 


316  The  Cameron  Pride. 

made  me  happy  has  been  removed  or  changed.  Baby  is 
dead,  and  Wilford,  oh!  Helen,  I  sometimes  wish  I  had 
not  heard  of  Genevra,  for  I  am  afraid  it  can  never  be 
with  us  as  it  was  once;  I  have  n*t  the  same  trust  in  him, 
and  he  seems  so  changed/"' 

As  well  as  she  could,  Helen  comforted  her  sister,  and 
commending  her  to  One  who  would  care  for  her  far  more 
than  earthly  friends  could  do,  she  bade  her  good-bye,  and 
with  her  mother  went  back  to  Silverton. 


CHAPTEE  XXXVIII. 

DOMESTIC  TROUBLES. 

WILFORD  was  in  a  most  unhappy  frame  of  mind.  He 
had  been  humbled  to  the  very  dust,  and  it  was  Katy  who 
had  done  it — Katy,  towards  whom  his  heart  kept  harden 
ing  as  he  thought  over  all  the  past.  What  right  had  she 
to  go  to  his  mother's  after  having  once  declined;  or,  be 
ing  there,  what  right  had  she  to  listen  and  thus  learn 
the  secret  he  would  almost  have  died  to  keep;  or,  having 
learned  it.  why  need  she  have  been  so  much  excited,  and 
sent  for  Or.  Grant  to  tell  her  if  she  were  really  a  wife, 
and  if  not  to  take  her  away?  That  was  the  point  which 
hurt  him  most,  for  added  to  it  was  the  galling  fact  that 
Morris  Grant  loved  his  wife,  and  was  undoubtedly  more 
worthy  of  her  than  himself.  He  had  said  that  he  for 
gave  Morris,  and  at  the  time  he  said  it  he  fancied  he 
(lid,  b:it  as  the  days  went  by,  and  thought  was  all  the 
busier  from  the  moody  silence  he  maintained,  there  grad 
ually  came  to  life  a  feeling  of  hatred  for  the  man  whose 
name  he  could  not  hear  without  a  frown,  while  he  watched 
Katy  closely  to  detect,  if  possible,  some  sign  by  which 
he  should  know  that  Morris's  love  was  reciprocated.  But 
Katy  was  innocence  itself,  and  tried  so  hard  to  do  her 
duty  as  a  wife,  going  often  to  the  Friend  of  whom  Helen 
had  told  her,  and  finding  there  the  grace  which  helped 
her  bear  what  otherwise  she  could  not  have  borne  and 


The  Cameron  Pride.  317 

lived.  The  entire  history  of  her  life  during  that  wretched 
winter  was  never  told  save  as  it  was  written  on  her  face, 
which  was  a  volume  in  itself  of  meek  and  patient  suf 
fering. 

Wilford  had  never  mentioned  Genevra  to  her  since  the 
day  of  his  return,  and  Katy  sometimes  felt  it  would  be 
well  to  talk  that  matter  over.  It  might  lead  to  a  better 
understanding  than  existed  between  them  now,  and  dis 
sipate  the  cloud  which  hung  so  darkly  on  their  domestic 
horizon.  But  Wilford  repulsed  all  her  advances  on  that 
subject,  and  Genevra  was  a  dead  name  in  their  household. 
Times  there  were  when  for  an  entire  day  he  would  appear 
like  his  former  self,  caressing  her  with  unwonted  tender 
ness,  but  never  asked  her  forgiveness  for  all  he  had  made 
her  suffer.  He  was  too  proud  to  do  that,  and  his  ten 
derness  always  passed  away  when  he  remembered  Morris 
Grant  and  Katy's  remark  to  Helen  which  he  accidentally 
overheard.  "I  am  afraid  it  can  never  be  with  us  as  it 
was  once.  I  have  not  the  same  trust  in  him." 

"  She  had  no  right  to  complain  of  me,"  he  thought,  for 
getting  the  time  when  he  had  been  guilty  of  a  similar 
offence  in  a  more  aggravated  form.  He  could  not  reason 
upon  anything  naturally,  and  matters  grew  daily  worse, 
while  Katy's  face  grew  whiter  and  her  voice  sadder  in  its 
tone. 

When  the  Lenten  days  came  on,  oh  how  Katy  longed  to 
be  in  Silverton — to  kneel  again  in  its  quiet  church,  and 
offer  up  her  penitential  prayers  with  the  loved  ones  at 
home.  At  last  she  ventured  to  ask  Wilford  if  she  might 
go,  her  spirits  rising  when  he  did  not  refuse  her  request 
at  once,  but  asked, 

"  Whom  do  you  wish  to  see  the  most  ?  " 

His  black  eyes  seemed  reading  her  through,  and  some 
thing  in  their  expression  brought  to  her  face  the  blush 
he  construed  according  to  his  jealousy,  and  when  she  an 
swered,  <(  I  wish  to  see  them  all,"  he  retorted, 

"  Say,  rather,  you  wish  to  see  that  doctor,  who  has 
loved  you  so  long,  and  who  but  for  me  would  have  asked 
you  to  be  his  wife ! " 

"  What  doctor,  Wilford  ?  whom  do  you  mean  ? "  she 
asked,  and  Wilford  replied, 


318  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"Dr.  Grant,  of  course.     Did  you  never  suspect  it?" 

"  Never,"  and  Katy's  face  grew  very  white,  while  Wil- 
ford  continued, 

"  I  had  it  from  his  own  lips ;  he  sitting  on  one  side  of 
you  and  I  upon  the  other.  I  so  forgot  myself  as  to  charge 
him  with  loving  you,  and  he  did  not  deny  it,  but  con 
fessed  as  pretty  a  piece  of  romance  as  I  ever  read,  except 
that,  according  to  his  story,  it  was  a  one-sided  affair, 
confined  wholly  to  himself.  You  never  dreamed  of  it, 
he  said." 

"  Never,  no  never,"  Katy  said,  panting  for  her  breath, 
and  remembering  suddenly  many  things  which  confirmed 
what  she  had  heard. 

"  Poor  Morris,  how  my  thoughtlessness  must  have 
wounded  him/'  she  murmured,  and  then  all  the  pent  up 
passion  in  Wilford's  heart  burst  out  in  an  impetuous 
storm. 

He  did  not  charge  his  wife  directly  with  returning 
Morris's  love ;  but  he  said  she  was  sorry  she  had  not 
known  it  earlier,  asking  her  pointedly  if  it  were  not  so, 
and  pressing  her  for  an  answer,  until  the  bewildered 
creature  cried  out, 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know.     I  never  thought  of  it  before." 

"But  you  can  think  of  it  now,"  Wilford  continued,  his 
cold,  icy  tone  making  Katy  shiver,  as,  more  to  herself  than 
to  him,  she  whispered, 

"A  life  at  Limvood  with  him  would  be  perfect  rest, 
compared  with  this" 

Wilford  had  goaded  her  on  to  say  that  which  roused 
him  to  a  pitch  of  frenzy. 

"You  can  go  to  your  rest  at  Linwood  as  soon  as  you 
like,  and  I  will  go  my  way,"  he  whispered  hoarsely,  and 
believing  himself  the  most  injured  man  in  existence,  he 
left  the  house,  and  Katy  heard  his  step,  as  it  went  furi 
ously  down  the  steps.  For  a  time  she  sat  stunned  with 
what  she  had  heard,  and  then  there  came  stealing  into 
her  heart  a  glad  feeling  that  Morris  deemed  her  worthy 
of  his  love  when  she  had  so  often  feared  the  contrary. 
And  in  this  she  was  not  faithless  to  Wilford.  She  could 
pray  with  just  as  pure  a  heart  as  before,  and  she  did 
pray,  thanking  God  for  the  love  of  this  good  man,  but 


The  Cameron  Pride.  319 

asking  that  long  ere  this  he  might  have  learned  to  be 
content  without  her.  Never  once  did  the  thought  "  It 
might  have  been/'  intrude  itself  upon  her,  nor  did  she 
send  one  regret  after  the  life  she  had  missed.  She 
seemed  to  rise  above  all  that,  and  Wilford,  had  he  read 
her  heart,  would  have  found  no  evil  there. 

"  Poor  Morris/'  she  kept  repeating,  while  little  throbs 
of  pleasure  went  dancing  through  her  veins,  and  the 
world  was  not  one  half  so  dreary  for  knowing  he  had 
loved  her.  Towards  Wilford,  too,  her  heart  went  out  in 
a  fresh  gush  of  tenderness,  for  she  knew  how  one  of  his 
jealous  nature  must  have  suffered. 

And  all  that  day  she  was  thinking  of  him,  and  how 
pleasantly  she  would  meet  him  when  he  came  home  at 
night,  and  how  she  would  try  to  win  him  from  the  dark 
silent  mood  now  so  habitual  to  him.  More  than  usual 
pains  she  took  with  her  toilet,  arranging  her  bright  hair 
in  the  long,  glossy  curls,  which  she  knew  he  used  to  ad 
mire,  and  making  sundry  little  changes  in  her  black 
dress.  Excitement  had  brought  a  faint  flush  to  her 
cheeks,  and  she  was  conscious  of  a  feeling  of  gratifica 
tion  that  for  the  first  time  in  months  she  was  looking 
like  her  former  self.  Slowly  the  minutes  crept  on,  and 
the  silver-toned  clock  in  the  dining-room  said  it  was  time 
for  Wilford  to  come;  then  the  night  shadows  gathered  in 
the  rooms,  and  the  gas  was  lighted  in  the  hall  and  in 
the  parlor,  where  Katy's  face  was  pressed  against  the 
window  pane,  and  Katy's  eyes  peered  anxiously  out  into 
the  darkening  streets,  but  saw  no  one  alighting  at  their 
door.  Wilford  did  not  come.  Neither  six,  nor  seven,  nor 
eight  brought  him  home,  and  Katy  sat  down  alone  to  her 
dinner,  which,  save  the  soup  and  coffee,  was  removed  un- 
tasted.  She  could  not  eat  with  the  terrible  dread  at  her 
heart  that  this  long  protracted  absence  portended  some 
thing  more  than  common.  Ten,  eleven,  and  twelve  struck 
from  a  distant  tower.  He  had  stayed  out  as  late  as  that 
frequently,  but  rarely  later,  and  Katy  listened  again  for 
him,  until  the  clock  struck  one,  and  she  grew  sick  with 
fear  and  apprehension.  It  was  a  long,  long,  wretched 
night,  but  morning  came  at  last,  and  at  an  early  hour 
Katy  drove  down  to  Wilford's  office,  finding  no  one  there 


32O  The  Cameron  Pride. 

besides  Tom  Tubbs  and  Mills,  the  other  clerk.  Katy  could 
not  conceal  her  agitation,  and  her  face  was  very  white 
as  she  asked  what  time  Mr.  Cameron  left  the  office  the 
previous  day. 

If  Katy  had  one  subject  more  loyal  than  another  it  was 
young  Tom  Tubbs,  whose  boyish  blood  had  often  boiled 
with  rage  at  the  cool  manner  with  which  Wilford  treated 
his  wife,  when,  as  she  sometimes  did,  she  came  into  the 
office.  Tom  worshiped  Katy  Cameron,  who,  in  his  whis 
pered  confidences  to  Mattie,  was  an  angel,  while  Wilford 
was  accused  of  being  an  overbearing  tyrant,  whom  Tom 
would  like  to  thrash.  He  saw  at  once,  that  something  un 
usual  was  troubling  her,  and  hastening  to  bring  her  a 
chair,  told  her  that  Mr.  Cameron  left  the  office  about  four 
o'clock;  that  he  had  spent  the  most  of  the  day  in  his 
private  office  writing  and  looking  over  papers;  that  he 
had  given  his  clerks  so  many  directions  with  regard  to 
certain  matters,  that  Mills  had  remarked  upon  it,  saying, 
"  It  would  seem  as  if  he  did  not  expect  to  be  here  to 
see  to  it  himself ; "  and  this  was  all  Katy  could  learn, 
but  it  was  enough  to  increase  the  growing  terror  at  her 
heart,  and  dropping  her  veil,  she  went  out  to  her  car 
riage,  followed  by  Tom,  who  adjusted  the  gay  robe  across 
her  lap,  and  then  looked  wistfully  after  her  as  she  drove 
up  Broadway. 

"  To  father  Cameron's,"  she  said  to  the  driver,  who 
turned  his  horses  towards  Fifth  Avenue,  where,  just  com 
ing  down  the  steps  of  his  own  house,  they  met  the  elder 
Cameron. 

Katy  would  rather  see  him  first  a  brie,  and  motioning 
him  to  her  side  she  whispered :  "  Oh,  father,  is  Wilford 
here?" 

"  Wilford  be " ;  the  old  man  did  not  say  what,  for 

the  expression  of  Katy's  face  startled  him. 

That  there  was  something  wrong,  and  father  Cameron 
knew  it,  was  Katy's  conviction,  and  she  gasped  out, 

"  Tell  me  the  worst.    Is  Wilford  dead  ?  " 

Father  Cameron  was  in  the  carriage  by  this  time,  and 
riding  towards  Madison  Square,  for  he  did  not  care  to 
introduce  Katy  into  his  household,  which,  just  at  present, 
presented  a  scene  of  dire  confusion  and  dismay,  occ»» 


The  Cameron  Pride.  321 

sioned  by  o  AOI?  received  from  Wilford  to  the  intent  that 
he  had  left  Nev;  York,  and  did  not  know  when  he  should 
return. 

"  Katy  can  tell  you  why  I  go,"  he  added,  and  father 
Cameron  was  going  to  Katy  when  she  met  him  at  his 
door. 

To  Katy's  repeated  question,  "  Is  he  dead?"  he  an 
swered,  "  Worse  than  that,  I  fear.  He  has  left  the  city, 
and  no  one  knows  for  what,  unless  you  do.  From  some 
thing  he  wrote,  my  wife  is  led  to  suppose  there  was 
trouble  between  you  two.  Was  there  ?  "  and  father  Cam 
eron's  gray  eyes  rested  earnestly  on  the  white,  frightened 
face  which  looked  up  so  quickly  as  Katy  gasped, 

"  There  lias  been  trouble — that  is,  he  has  not  appeared 
quite  the  same  since " 

She  was  interrupted  by  the  carriage  stopping  before  her 
door;  but  when  they  were  in  the  parlor,  father  Cameron 
said, 

"  Go  on  now.  Wilford  has  not  been  the  same  since 
when  ?  " 

Thus  importuned,  Katy  continued, 

"  Since  baby  died.  I  think  he  blamed  me  as  the  cause 
of  its  death."' 

"  Don't  babies  die  every  day  ?  "  father  Cameron  growled, 
while  Katy,  without  considering  that  he  had  never  heard 
of  Genevra,  continued, 

"  And  then  it  was  worse  after  I  found  out  about  Gen 
evra,  his  first  wife." 

"  Genevra  !  Genevra,  Wilford's  first  wife !  Thunder 
and  lightning !  what  are  you  talking  about  ?  "  and  father 
Cameron  bent  down  to  look  in  Katy's  face,  thinking  she 
was  going  mad. 

But  Katy  was  not  mad,  and  knowing  it  was  now  too 
late  to  retract,  she  told  the  story  of  Genevra  Lambert  to 
the  old  man,  who,  utterly  confounded,  stalked  up  and 
down  the  room,  kicking  away  chairs  and  footstools,  and 
whatever  came  in  his  way,  and  swearing  promiscuously 
at  his  wife  and  Wilford,  whom  he  pronounced  a  precious 
pair  of  fools,  with  a  dreadful  adjective  appended  to  the 
fools,  and  an  emphasis  in  his  voice  which  showed  he 
meant  what  he  said. 


322  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"  It's  all  accounted  for  now,"  he  said ;  "  the  piles  of 
money  that  boy  had  abroad,  his  privacy  with  his  mother, 
and  all  the  other  tomfoolery  I  could  not  understand. 
Katy,"  and  pausing  in  his  walk,  Mr.  Cameron  came  close 
to  his  daughter-in-law,  who  was  lying  with  her  face  upon 
the  sofa.  "  Katy,  be  glad  your  baby  died.  Had  it  lived 
it  might  have  proved  a  curse,  just  as  mine  have  done — 
not  all,  for  Bell,  though  fiery  as  a  pepper-pod,  has  some 
heart,  some  sense — and  there  was  Jack,  my  oldest  boy, 
a  little  fast  it's  true,  but  when  he  died  over  the  sea,  I 
forgave  all  that,  and  forgot  the  chair  he  broke  over  a 
tutor's  head,  and  the  scrapes  for  which  I  paid  as  high  as 
a  thousand  at  one  time.  He  sowed  his  wild  oats,  and 
died  before  he  could  reap  them — died  a  good  man,  I  be 
lieve,  and  went  to  Heaven.  Juno  you  know,  and  you  can 
judge  whether  she  is  such  as  would  delight  a  parent's 
heart;  while  Wilford,  my  only  boy,  to  deceive  me  so;  I 
knew  he  was  a  fool  in  some  things,  but  I  did  trust  Wil 
ford.'' 

The  old  man's  voice  shook  now,  and  Katy  felt  his  tears 
dropping  on  her  hair  as  he  stooped  over  her.  Checking 
them,  however,  he  said, 

"  And  he  was  cross  because  you  found  him  out.  Was 
there  no  other  reason  ?  " 

Katy  thought  of  Dr.  Morris,  but  she  could  not  tell  of 
that,  and  so  she  answered, 

"  There  was — but  please  don't  ask  me  now.  I  can't 
tell,  only  I  was  not  to  blame.  Believe  me,  father,  I  was 
not  to  blame." 

"  I'll  swear  to  that,"  was  the  reply,  and  father  Cameron 
commenced  his  walking  again,  just  as  Esther  came  to  the 
door  with  the  morning  letters. 

There  was  one  from  Wilford  for  Katy,  who  nervously 
tore  off  the  envelope  and  read  as  follows: 

"  Will  you  be  sorry  when  you  read  this  and  find  that  I 
am  gone,  that  you  are  free  from  the  husband  you  do  not 
love, — whom,  perhaps,  you  never  loved,  though  I  thought 
you  did.  I  trusted  you  once,  and  now  I  do  not  blame 
you  as  much  as  I  ought,  for  you  are  young  and  easily  in 
fluenced.  You  are  very  susceptible  to  flattery,  as  was 


The  Cameron  Pride.  323 

proven  by  your  career  at  Saratoga  and  Newport.  I  had  no 
suspicion  of  you  then,  but  now  that  I  know  you  better,  I 
see  that  it  was  not  all  childish  simplicity  which  made  you 
smile  so  graciously  upon  those  who  sought  your  favor. 
You  are  a  coquette,  Katy,  and  the  greater  one  because  of 
that  semblance  of  artlessness  which  is  the  perfection  of 
art.  This,  however,  I  might  forgive,  if  I  had  not  learned 
that  another  man  loved  you  first  and  wished  to  make  you 
his  wife,  while  you,  in  your  secret  heart,  wish  you  had 
known  it  sooner.  Don't  deny  it,  Katy;  I  saw  it  in  your 
face  when  I  first  told  you  of  Dr.  Grant's  confession,  and  I 
heard  it  in  your  voice  as  well  as  in  your  words  when  you 
said  '  A  life  at  Linwood  would  be  perfect  rest  compared 
with  this/  That  hurt  me  cruelly,  Katy.  I  did  not  de 
serve  it  from  one  for  whom  I  have  done  and  borne  so  much, 
and  it  was  the  final  cause  of  my  leaving  you,  for  I  am 
going  to  Washington  to  enroll  myself  in  the  service  of  my 
country.  You  will  be  happier  without  me  for  awhile,  and 
perhaps  when  I  return,  Linwood  will  not  look  quite  the 
little  paradise  it  does  now. 

"  I  might  reproach  you  with  having  telegraphed  to  Dr. 
Grant  about  that  miserable  Genevra  affair  which  you  had 
not  discretion  enough  to  keep  to  yourself.  Few  men  would 
care  to  have  their  wives  send  for  a  former  lover  in  their 
absence  and  ask  that  lover  to  take  them  away.  Your 
saintly  cousin,  good  as  he  is,  cannot  wonder  at  my  vex 
ation,  or  blame  me  greatly  for  going  away.  Perhaps  he 
will  offer  you  comfort,  both  religious  and  otherwise :  but  if 
you  ever  wish  me  to  return,  avoid  him  as  you  would  shun 
a  deadly  poison.  Until  I  countermand  the  order,  I  wish 
you  to  remain  in  the  house  which  I  bought  for  you.  Helen 
and  your  mother  both  may  live  with  you,  while  father  will 
have  a  general  oversight  of  your  affairs ;  I  shall  send  him 
a  line  to  that  effect.  "  YOUR  DISAPPOINTED  HUSBAND/' 

This  was  the  letter,  and  there  was  perfect  silence  while 
Katy  read  it  through,  Mr.  Cameron  never  taking  his  eyes 
from  her  face,  which  turned  first  white,  then  red,  then 
spotted,  and  finally  took  a  leaden  hue  as  Katy  ran  over 
the  lines,  comprehending  the  truth  as  she  read,  and  when 


324  The  Cameron  Pride. 

the  letter  was  finished,  lifting  her  dry,  tearless  eyes  to 
Father  Cameron,  and  whispering  to  herself, 

"  Deserted !  " 

She  let  him  read  the  letter,  and  Mien  he  had  finished, 
explained  the  parts  he  did  not  understand,  telling  him 
now  what  Morris  had  confessed — telling  him  too  that 
in  her  first  sorrow,  when  life  and  sense  seemed  reeling, 
she  had  sent  for  Dr.  Grant,  knowing  she  could  trust  him 
and  be  right  in  doing  whatever  he  advised. 

"  Why  did  you  say  you  sent  for  him — that  is,  what  was 
the  special  reason  ?  "  Mr.  Cameron  asked,  and  Katy  told 
him  her  belief  that  Genevra  was  living — that  it  was  she 
who  made  the  bridal  trousseau  for  Wilford's  second  wife, 
she  who  nursed  his  child  until  it  died,  giving  to  it  her 
own  name,  arraying  it  for  the  grave,  and  then  leaving  be 
fore  the  father  came. 

"I  never  told  Wilford,"  Katy  said.  "I  felt  as  if  I 
would  rather  he  should  not  know  it  yet.  Perhaps  I  was 
wrong,  but  if  so,  I  have  been  terribly  punished.77 

Mr.  Cameron  could  not  look  upon  the  woman  who 
stood  before  him,  so  helpless  and  stricken  in  her  desola 
tion,  and  believe  her  wrong  in  anything.  The  guilt  lay 
in  another  direction,  and  when,  as  the  terrible  reality 
that  she  was  indeed  a  deserted  wife  came  rushing  over 
Katy,  she  tottered  toward  him  fqr  help;  he  stretched  his 
arms  out  for  her,  and  taking  the  sinking  figure  in  them, 
laid  it  upon  the  sofa  as  gentlv,  as  kindly,  as  Wilford  had 
ever  touched  it  in  his  most  loving  days. 

Katy  did  not  faint  nor  weep.  She  was  past  all  that; 
but  her  face  was  like  a  piece  of  marble,  and  her  eyes  were 
like  those  of  the  hunted  fawn  when  the  chase  is  at  its 
height,  and  escape  impossible. 

u  Wilford  will  come  back,  of  course,"  the  father  said, 
"but  that  does  not  help  us  now.  What  the  plague — who 
is  ringing  that  bell  enough  to  break  the  wire  ?  "  he  added, 
as  a  sharp,  rapid  ring  echoed  through  the  house,  and  was 
answered  by  Esther.  "  It's  my  wife/7  he  continued,  as 
he  caught  the  sound  of  her  voice  in  the  hall. 

"  You  stay  here  while  I  meet  her  first  alone.  I'll  give 
it  to  her  for  cheating  me  so  long,  and  raising  thunder 
generally ! " 


The  Cameron  Pride.  325 

Katy  tried  to  protest,  but  he  was  half  way  down  the 
stairs,  and  in  a  moment  more  was  with  his  wife,  who,  im 
patient  at  his  long  delay,  had  come  herself,  armed  and 
equipped,  to  censure  Katy  as  the  cause  of  Wilford's  disap 
pearance,  and  to  demand  of  her  what  she  had  done. 
But  the  lady  who  came  in  so  haughty  and  indignant  was 
a  very  different  personage  from  the  lady  who,  after  lis 
tening  for  fifteen  minutes  to  a  fearful  storm  of  oaths 
and  reproaches,  mingling  with  startling  truths  and  bitter 
denunciations  against  herself  and  her  boy,  sank  into  a 
chair,  pale  and  trembling,  and  overwhelmed  with  the 
harvest  she  was  reaping. 

But  her  husband  was  not  through  with  her  yet.  He 
had  reserved  the  bitterest  drop  for  the  last,  and  coming 
close  to  her  he  said, 

"  And  who  think  you  the  woman  is — this  Genevra,  Wil 
ford's  and  your  divorced  wife?  You  were  too  proud  to 
acknowledge  an  apothecary's  daughter!  See  if  you  like 
better  a  dressmaker,  a  nurse  to  Katy's  baby,  Marian  Hazel- 
ton!" 

He  whispered  the  last  name,  and  with  a  shriek  the  lady 
fainted.  Mr.  Cameron  would  not  summon  a  servant;  and 
as  there  was  no  water  in  the  room,  he  walked  to  the 
window,  and  lifting  the  sash  scraped  from  the  sill  a  hand 
ful  of  the  light  spring  snow  which  had  been  falling  since 
morning.  With  this  he  brought  his  wife  back  to  con 
sciousness,  and  then  marked  out  her  future  course. 

"  I  know  what  is  in  your  mind,"  he  said ;  "  people  will 
talk  about  Wilford's  going  off  so  suddenly,  and  you  would 
like  to  have  all  the  blame  rest  on  Katy;  but,  madam, 
hear  me:  Just  so  sure  as  through  your  means  one  breath 
of  suspicion  falls  on  her,  I'll  bla-at  out  the  whole  story  of 
Genevra.  Then  see  who  is  censured.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  you  hold  your  tongue,  and  make  Juno  hold  hers,  and 
stick  to  Katy  through  thick  and  thin,  acting  as  if  you 
would  like  to  swallow  her  whole,  I'll  say  nothing  of  this 
Genevra.  Is  it  a  bargain  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  came  faintly  from  the  sofa  cushions,  where  Mrs. 
Cameron  had  buried  her  face,  sobbing  in  a  confused, 
frightened  way,  and  after  a  few  moments  asking  to  Bee 
Katy,  whom  she  kissed  and  caressed  with  unwonted  ten- 


326  The  Cameron  Pride. 

derness,  telling  her  Wilford  would  come  back,  and  adding, 
that  in  any  event  no  one  could  or  should  blame  her. 
"  Wilford  was  wrong  to  deceive  you  about  Genevra.  I 
was  wrong  to  let  him;  but  we  will  have  no  more  conceal 
ments.  You  think  she  is  living  still — that  she  is  Marian 
Hazelton  ? "  and  Mrs.  Cameron  smoothed  Katy's  hair 
as  she  talked,  trying  to  be  motherly  and  kind,  while  her 
heart  beat  more  painfully  at  thoughts  of  a  Genevra  living, 
than  it  ever  had  at  thoughts  of  a  Genevra  dead. 

She  did  not  doubt  the  story,  although  it  seemed  so 
strange,  and  it  made  her  faint  as  she  wondered  if  the 
world  would  ever  know,  and  what  it  would  say  if  it  did. 
That  her  husband  would  tell,  if  she  failed  in  a  single 
point,  she  was  sure;  but  she  would  not  fail.  She  would 
swear  Katy  was  innocent  of  everything,  if  necessary,  while 
Juno  and  Bell  should  swear  too.  Of  course,  they  must 
know,  and  she  should  tell  them  that  very  night,  she  said 
to  herself ;  and  hence  it  was  that  in  the  gossip  which  fol 
lowed  Wilford's  disappearance,  not  a  word  was  breathed 
against  Katy,  whose  cause  the  family  espoused  so  warmly, 
— Bell  and  the  father  because  they  really  loved  and  pitied 
her,  and  Mrs.  Cameron  and  Juno  because  it  saved  them 
from  the  disgrace  which  would  have  fallen  on  Wilford, 
had  the  fashionable  world  known  then  of  Genevra. 

Wilford's  leaving  home  so  suddenly  to  join  the  army, 
could  not  fail,  even  in  New  York*  to  cause  some  excite 
ment,  especially  in  his  own  immediate  circle  of  acquaint 
ance,  and  for  several  days  the  matter  was  discussed  in  all 
its  phases,  and  every  possible  opinion  and  conjecture  of 
fered,  as  to  the  cause  of  his  strange  freak.  They  could 
not  believe  in  domestic  troubles  when  they  saw  how  his 
family  clung  to  and  defended  Katy  from  the  least  ap 
proach  of  censure,  Juno  taking  up  her  abode  with  her 
"afflicted  sister,'7  Mrs.  Cameron  driving  round  each  day 
to  see  her;  Bell  always  speaking  of  her  with  genuine  af 
fection,  while  the  father  clung  to  her  like  a  hero,  the 
quartette  forming  a  barrier  across  which  the  shafts  of 
scandal  could  not  reach. 


The  Cameron  Pridee  327 


CHAPTEE  XXXIX. 

WHAT  FOLLOWED. 

WHEN  Wilford  left  Katy  so  abruptly  he  had  no  definite 
purpose  in  his  mind.  He  was  very  sore  with  the  remem 
brance  of  all  that  had  passed  since  baby's  death,  and  very 
angry  at  his  wife,  who  he  believed  preferred  another  to 
himself,  or  who  would  have  done  so  had  she  known  in 
time  what  she  did  now.  Like  most  angry  people,  he  forgot 
wherein  he  had  been  in  fault,  but  charged  it  all  to  Katy 
as  he  went  down  Broadway  that  spring  morning.,  finding 
on  his  table  a  letter  from  an  old  classmate,  who  was  then 
in  Washington  getting  up  a  company,  and  who  wrote 
urging  his  friend  to  join  him  at  once,  and  offering  him 
the  rank  of  First  Lieutenant.  Here  was  a  temptation,— 
here  an  opportunity  to  revenge  himself  on  Katy,  against 
whom  he  wrote  a  sad  list  of  errors,  making  it  sadder  by 
brooding  over  and  magnifying  it  until  he  reached  a  point 
from  which  he  would  not  swerve. 

"  I  shall  do  it,"  he  said,  and  his  lips  were  pressed 
firmly  together,  as  in  his  private  office  he  sat  revolving 
the  past,  and  then  turning  to  the  future,  opening  so 
darkly  before  him,  and  making  him  shudder  as  he  thought 
of  what  it  might  bring.  "  I  will  spare  Katy  as  much  as 
possible,"  he  said,  "  for  hers  is  a  different  nature  from 
Genevra's.  She  cannot  bear  as  well,"  and  a  bitter  groan 
broke  the  silence  of  the  room  as  Katy  came  up  before  him 
just  as  she  had  looked  that  very  morning  standing  by 
the  window,  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  and  a  wistful,  sorry 
look  on  her  white  face. 

But  Wilford  was  not  one  to  retract  when  a  decision  was 
reached,  and  so  he  arranged  his  business  matters  as 
well  as  his  limited  time  would  allow;  then,  after  the 
brief  note  to  his  father,  wrote  the  letter  to  Katy,  and 
then  followed  to  the  Jersey  ferry  a  regiment  of  soldiers 
who  were  going  on  to  Washington  that  night.  Four  days 


328  The  Cameron  Pride. 

more  and  Lieutenant  Wilford  Cameron,  with  no  regret 
as  yet  for  the  past,  marched  away  to  swell  the  ranks  of 
men  who,  led  by  General  McClellan,  were  pressing  on,  as 
they  believed,  to  Richmond  and  victory.  A  week  of  ter 
rible  suspense  went  by,  and  then  there  came  a.  letter  to 
Mr.  Cameron  from  his  son,  requesting  him  to  care  for 
Katy,  but  asking  no  forgiveness  for  himself.  There  were 
no  apologies,  no  explanations,  no  kind  words  for  Katy, 
whose  eyes  moved  slowly  over  the  short  letter,  and  then 
were  lifted  sadly  to  her  father's  face  as  she  said, 

"  I  will  write  to  him  myself,  and  on  his  answer  will 
depend  my  future  course." 

This  she  said  referring  to  the  question  she  had  raised 
as  to  whether  she  should  remain  in  New  York  or  go  to 
Silverton,  where  the  family  as  yet  knew  nothing  except 
that  Wilford  had  joined  the  army.  And  so  the  days  went 
by,  while  Katy's  letter  was  sent  to  Wilford,  together  with 
another  from  his  father,  who  called  his  son  a  "  confounded 
fool,"  telling  him  to  throw  up  his  shoulder  straps,  which 
only  honest  men  had  a  right  to  wear,  and  come  home 
where  he  belonged. 

To  this  there  came  an  indignant  answer,  bidding  the 
father  attend  to  his  own  business,  and  allow  the  son  to 
attend  to  his.  To  Katy,  however,  Wilford  wrote  in  a 
different  strain,  showing  here  and  there  marks  of  ten 
derness  and  relenting,  but  saying  wfiat  he  had  done  could 
not  now  be  helped, — he  was  in  for  a  soldier's  life  for 
two  years,  and  should  abide  his  choice. 

This  was  the  purport  of  Wilford's  letter,  and  Katy, 
when  she  finished  reading  it,  said  sorrowfully, 

"  Wilford  never  loved  me,  and  I  cannot  stay  in  his 
home,  knowing  that  I  am  not  trusted  and  respected  as  a 
wife  should  be.  I  will  go  to  Silverton.  There  is  room 
for  me  there. 

Meanwhile  at  Silverton  there  was  much  anxiety  for 
Katy,  and  many  doubts  expressed  lest  something  was 
wrong.  That  Wilford  should  go  away  so  suddenly,  when 
he  had  never  been  noted  for  any  very  great  amount  of 
patriotism,  seemed  strange,  and  Uncle  Ephraim  at  last 
made  up  his  mind  to  the  herculean  task  of  going  to  New 
York  to  see  what  was  the  matter. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  329 

Presuming  upon  her  experience  as  a  traveler,  Aunt  Betsy 
had  proffered  sundry  pieces  of  advice  with  reference  to 
what  it  was  best  for  him  to  do  on  the  road,  telling  him 
which  side  of  the  car  to  sit,  where  to  get  out,  and  above 
all  things  not  to  shake  hands  with  the  conductor  when 
asked  for  his  ticket. 

Uncle  Ephraim  heard  her  good-humoredly,  and  stuff 
ing  into  his  pocket  the  paper  of  gingor-snaps,  fried  cakes 
and  cheese,  which  Aunt  Hannah  had  prepared  for  his 
lunch,  he  started  for  the  cars,  and  was  soon  on  his  \\ay 
to  New  York. 

In  his  case  there  was  no  Bob  Reynolds  to  offer  aid  and 
comfort,  and  the  old  man  was  nearly  torn  in  pieces  by 
the  hackmen,  who,  the  moment  he  appeared  to  view, 
pounced  upon  him  as  lawful  prey,  each  claiming  the  honor 
of  taking  him  wherever  he  wished  to  go,  and  raising  such 
a  din  about  his  ears  that  he  turned  away  thoroughly  dis 
gusted,  telling  them — 

"  He  had  feet  and  legs,  and  common  sense,  and  he 
guessed  he  could  find  his  way  without  'em.  "  Bleeged 
to  you,  gentlemen,  but  I  don't  need  you,"  and  with  a 
profound  bow  the  honest  looking  old  deacon  walked 
away,  asking  the  first  man  he  met  the  wav  to  Madison 
Square,  and  succeeding  in  finding  the  number  without 
difficulty. 

With  a  scream  of  joy  Ivaty  threw  herself  into  Uncle 
Ephraim's  arms,  and  then  led  him  to  her  own  room,  while 
the  first  tears  she  had  shed  since  she  knew  she  was  de 
serted  rained  in  torrents  over  her  face. 

"  What  is  it,  Katy-did  ?  I  mistrusted  something  was 
wrong.  What  has  happened?"  Uncle  Ephraim  asked; 
and  with  his  arm  around  her,  Katy  told  him  what  had 
happened,  and  asked  what  she  should  do. 

"  Do  ?  "  the  old  man  repeated.  "  Go  home  with  me  to 
your  own  folks  until  he  comes  from  the  wars.  He  is 
your  husband,  and  I  shall  say  nothing  agin  him ;  but  if  it 
was  to  go  over  I  would  forbid  the  barms.  That  chap  has 
misused  you  the  wust  way.  You  need  not  deny  it,  for 
it's  writ  all  over  your  face,"  he  continued,  as  Katy  tried 
to  stop  him,  for  sore  as  was  her  heart  with  the  great  in 
justice  done  her,  she  would  not  have  Wilford  blamed,  and 


330  The  Cameron  Pride. 

she  was  glad  when  dinner  was  announced,  as  that  would 
put  an  end  to  the  painful  conversation. 

Leading  Uncle  Ephraim  to  the  table,  she  presented  him 
to  Juno,  whose  cold  nod  and  haughty  stare  were  lost  on 
the  old  man,  bowing  his  white  head  so  reverently  as  he 
asked  the  first  blessing  which  had  ever  been  asked  at  that 
table. 

Tt  had  not  been  a  house  of  prayer — no  altar  had  been 
erected  for  the  morning  and  evening  sacrifice.  God  had 
almost  been  forgotten,  and  now  He  was  pouring  His  wrath 
upon  the  handsome  dwelling,  making  it  so  distasteful 
that  Katy  was  anxious  to  leave  it,  and  expressed  her  de 
sire  to  accompany  Uncle  Ephraim  to  Silverton  as  soon 
as  the  necessary  arrangements  could  be  made. 

"  I  don't  take  it  she  comes  for  good/'  Uncle  Ephraim 
said  that  evening,  when  Mr.  Cameron  opposed  her  going. 
"  When  the  two  years  are  gone,  and  her  man  wants  her 
back,  she  must  come  of  course.  But  she  grows  poor  here 
in  the  city.  It  don't  agree  with  her  like  the  scent  of 
the  clover  and  the  breeze  from  the  hills.  So,  shet 
up  the  house  for  a  spell,  and  let  the  child  come  with 
me." 

Mr.  Cameron  knew  that  Katy  would  be  happier  at  Sil 
verton,  and  he  finally  consented  to  her  going,  and  placed 
at  her  disposal  a  sum  which  seemed  to  the  deacon  a  little 
fortune  in  itself. 

To  Mrs.  Cameron  and  Juno  it  was  a  relief  to  have  Katy 
taken  from  their  hands,  and  though  they  made  a  show  of 
opposition,  they  were  easily  quieted,  and  helped  her  off 
with  alacrity,  the  mother  promising  to  see  that  the  house 
was  properly  cared  for,  and  Juno  offering  to  send  the 
latest  fashions  which  might  be  suitable,  as  soon  as  they 
appeared.  Bell  was  heartily  sorry  to  part  with  the  young 
si?ter,  who  seemed  going  from  her  forever. 

"  I  know  you  will  never  come  back.  Something  tells 
me  so,"  she  said,  as  she  stood  with  her  arms  around 
Katy's  waist,  and  her  lips  occasionally  touching  Katy's 
forehead.  "  But  I  shall  see  you,"  she  continued  ;  "  I  am 
coming  to  the  farm-house  in  the  summer,  and  you  may 
say  to  Aunt  Betsy  that  I  like  her  ever  so  much,  and  " — 
Bell  glanced  behind  her,  to  see  that  no  one  was  listen- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  331 

ing,  and  then  continued — "tell  her  a  certain  officer  was 
sick  a  few  days  in  a  hospital  last  winter,  and  one  of  his 
men  brought  to  him  a  dish  of  the  most  delicious  dried 
peaches  he  ever  ate.  That  man  was  from  Silverton,  and 
the  fruit  was  sent  to  him,  he  said,  in  a  salt  bag,  by  a 
nice  old  lady,  for  whose  brother  he  used  to  work.  Just 
to  think  that  the  peaches  I  helped  to  pare,  coloring  my 
hands  so  that  the  stain  did  not  come  of?  in  a  month, 
should  have  gone  so  straight  to  Bob ! "  and  Bell's  fine 
features  shone  with  a  light  which  would  have  told  Bob 
Eeynolds  he  was  beloved,  if  the  lips  did  refuse  to  confess 
it. 

"  I'll  tell  her/'  Katy  said,  and  then  bidding  them  all 
good-bye,  and  putting  her  hand  on  Uncle  Ephraim's  arm, 
she  went  with  him  from  the  home  where  she  had  lived 
but  two  years,  and  those  the  saddest,  most  eventful  ones 
of  her  short  life. 


CHAPTEE  XL. 

MARK  AND  HELEN. 

THERE  was  much  talk  in  Silverton  when  it  was  known 
that  Katy  had  come  to  stay  until  her  husband  returned 
from  the  war,  and  at  first  the  people  watched  her  curiouslv 
as  she  came  among  them  again,  so  quiet,  so  subdued,  so 
unlike  the  Katy  of  old  that  they  would  have  hardly 
recognized  her  but  for  the  beauty  of  her  face  and  the 
sunny  smile  she  gave  to  all,  and  which  rested  oftenest 
on  the  poor  and  suffering,  who  blessed  her  as  the  angel 
of  their  humble  homes,  praying  that  God  would  remem 
ber  her  for  all  she  was  to  them.  Wilford  had  censured 
her  at  first  for  going  to  Silverton,  when  he  preferred  she 
should  stay  in  New  York,  hinting  darkly  at  the  reason 
of  her  choice,  and  saying  to  her  once,  when  she  told  him 
how  the  Sunday  before  her  twenty-first  birthday  she  had 
knelt  before  the  altar  and  taken  upon  herself  the  vows 
of  confirmation,  "  Your  saintly  cousin  is,  of  course,  de- 


332  The  Cameron  Pride. 

lighted,  and  that  I  suppose  is  sufficient,  without  iny  con 
gratulations." 

Perhaps  he  did  not  mean  it,  but  he  seemed  to  take  de 
light  in  teasing  her,  and  Katy  sometimes  felt  she  should 
be  happier  without  his  letters  than  with  them.  He  never 
said  he  was  sorry  he  had  left  her  so  suddenly — indeed  he 
seldom  referred  to  the  past  in  any  way;  or  if  he  did.  it 
was  in  a  manner  which  showed  that  he  thought  himself 
the  injured  party,  if  either. 

Katy  did  not  often  go  to  Linwood,  and  seldom  saw 
Morris  alone.  After  what  had  passed  she  thought  it  better 
to  avoid  him  as  much  as  possible,  and  was  glad  when 
early  in  June  he  accepted  a  situation  offered  him  as 
surgeon  in  a  Georgetown  hospital,  and  left  Silverton  for 
his  new  field  of  labor. 

True  to  her  promise,  Bell  came  the  last  of  July  to  Sil 
verton,  proving  herself  a  dreadful  romp,  as  she  climbed 
over  the  rocks  in  Aunt  Betsy's  famous  sheep-pasture,  or 
raked  the  hay  in  the  meadow,  and  proving  herself,  too,  a 
genuine  woman,  as  with  blanched  cheek  and  anxious  heart 
she  waited  for  tidings  from  the  battles  before  Richmond, 
where  the  tide  of  success  seemed  to  turn,  and  the  North, 
hitherto  so  jubilant  and  hopeful,  wore  weeds  of  mourn 
ing  from  Maine  to  Oregon.  Lieut.  Bob  was  there,  and 
Wilford,  too;  and  so  was  Captain  Ray,  digging  in  the 
marshy  swamps,  where  death  floated1  up  in  poisonous  ex 
halations — plodding  on  the  weary  march,  and  fighting  all 
through  the  seven  days,  where  the  sun  poured  down  its 
burning  heat  and  the  night  brought  little  rest.  No  won 
der,  then,  that  three  faces  at  the  farm-house  grew  white 
with  anxiety,  or  that  three  pairs  of  eyes  grew  dim  with 
watching  the  daily  papers.  But  the  names  of  neither 
Wilford,  Mark,  nor  Bob  were  ever  found  among  the 
wounded,  dead,  or  missing,  and  with  the  fall  of  the  first 
autumn  leaf  Bell  returned  to  the  city  more  puzzled,  more 
perplexed  than  ever  with  regard  to  Helen  Lennox's  real 
feelings  toward  Captain  Ray. 

The  week  before  Christmas,  Mark  came  home  for  a 
few  days,  looking  ruddy  and  bronzed  from  exposure  and 
hardship,  but  wearing  a  disappointed,  listless  look  which 
Bell  was  quick  to  detect,  connecting  it  in  some  way  with 


The  Cameron  Pride.  333 

Helen  Lennox.  Only  once  did  he  call  at  Mr.  Cameron's 
and  then  as  Juno  was  out  Bell  had  him  to  herself,  talk 
ing  of  Silverton,  of  Helen  and  Katy,  in  the  latter  of  whom 
he  seemed  far  more  interested  than  her  sister.  Many 
questions  he  asked  concerning  Katy,  expressing  his  re 
gret  that  Wilford  had  left  her,  and  saying  he  believed 
Wilford  was  sorry,  too.  Pie  was  in  the  hospital  now,  with 
a  severe  cold  and  a  touch  of  the  rheumatism,  he  said;  but 
as  Bell  knew  this  already  she  did  not  dwell  long  upon 
that  subject,  choosing  rather  to  talk  of  Helen,  who,  she 
said,  was  "  as  much  interested  in  the  soldiers,  as  if  she 
had  a  brother  or  a  lover  in  the  army/'  and  her  bright 
eyes  glanced  meaningly  at  Mark,  who  answered  carelessly, 

u  Dr.  Grant  is  there,  and  that  may  account  for  her  in 
terest." 

Mark  knew  he  must  say  something  to  ward  off  Bell's 
attacks,  and  he  continued  talking  of  Dr.  Grant  and  how 
much  he  was  liked  by  the  poor  wretches  who  needed  some 
one  like  him  to  keep  them  from  dying  of  home-sickness 
if  nothing  else;  then,  after  a  few  bantering  words  con 
cerning  Lieutenant  Bob  and  the  picture  he  carried  into 
every  battle,  buttoned  closely  over  his  heart,  Mark  Ray 
took  his  leave,  while  Bell  ran  up  to  her  mother's  room  as  a 
seamstress  was  occupying  her  own.  Mrs.  Cameron  was  out 
that  afternoon,  and  that  she  had  dressed  in  a  hurrv  was 
indicated  by  the  unusual  confusion  of  her  room.  Draw 
ers  were  left  open  and  various  articles  scattered  about, 
while  on  the  floor,  just  as  it  had  fallen  from  a  glove- 
box,  lay  a  letter  which  Bell  picked  up,  intending  to 
replace  it. 

"  Miss  Helen  Lennox,"  she  read  in  astonishment.  "  How 
came  Helen  Lennox's  letter  here,  and  from  Mark  Ray  too/' 
she  continued,  still  more  amazed  as  she  took  the  neatly 
folded  note  from  the  envelope  and  glanced  at  the  name. 
"Foul  play  somewhere.  Can  it  be  mother?"  she  asked, 
as  she  read  enough  to  know  that  she  held  in  her  hand 
Mark's  offer  of  marriage,  which  had  in  some  mysterious 
manner  found  its  way  to  her  mother's  room.  "I  don't 
understand  it,"  she  said,  racking  her  brain  for  a  solution 
of  the  mystery.  "  But  I'll  send  it  to  Helen  this  very 
day,  and  to-morrow  I'll  tell  Mark  Ray." 


334  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Procrastination  was  not  one  of  Bell  Cameron's  faults, 
and  for  full  half  an  hour  before  her  mother  and  Juno  came 
home,  the  stolen  letter  had  been  lying  in  the  mail  box 
where  Bell  herself  deposited  it,  together  with  a  few  hur 
riedly-written  lines,  telling  how  it  came  into  her  hands, 
but  offering  no  explanation  of  any  kind. 

"  Mark  is  home  now  on  a  leave  of  absence  which  ex 
pires  day  after  to-morrow,"  she  wrote,  "  I  am  going 
round  to  see  him,  and  if  you  do  not  hear  from  him  in 
person  I  am  greatly  mistaken/' 

The  next  day  a  series  of  hindrances  kept  Bell  from 
making  her  call  as  early  as  she  had  intended,  so  that  Mrs. 
Banker  and  Mark  were  just  rising  from  dinner  when  told 
she  was  in  the  parlor. 

"  I  meant  to  have  come  before,"  she  said,  seating  herself 
by  Mark,  "  but  I  could  not  get  away.  I  have  brought 
you  some  good  news.  I  think, — that  is, — yes,  I  know 
there  has  been  some  mistake,  some  wrong  somewhere. 
Mark  Ray,  yesterday  afternoon  I  found, — no  matter  where 
or  how — a  letter  intended  for  Helen  Lennox,  which  I  am 
positive  she  never  saw  or  heard  of;  at  least  her  denial  to 
me  that  a  certain  Mark  Ray  had  ever  offered  himself  is 
a  proof  that  she  never  saw  what  was  an  offer  made  just 
before  you  went  away.  I  read  enough  to  know  that,  and 
then  I  took  the  letter  and " 

She  hesitated,  while  Mark's  eyes  turned  dark  with  ex 
citement,  and  even  Mrs.  Banker,  scarcely  less  interested, 
leaned  eagerly  forward,  saying, 

"And  what?  Go  on,  Miss  Cameron.  What  did  you 
do  with  that  letter?" 

"  I  sent  it  to  its  rightful  owner,  Helen  Lennox.  I 
posted  it  myself.  But  why  don't  you  thank  me,  Captain 
Ray  ?  "  she  asked,  as  Mark's  face  was  overshadowed  with 
anxiety. 

"  I  was  wondering  whether  it  were  well  to  send  it — 
wondering  how  it  might  be  received,"  he  said,  and  Bell 
replied. 

"  She  will  not  answer  no.  As  one  woman  knows  an 
other,  I  know  Helen  Lennox.  I  have  sounded  her  on 
that  point.  I  told  her  of  the  rumor  there  was  afloat,  and 
she  denied  it,  seeming  greatly  distressed,  but  showing 


The  Cameron  Pride.  335 

plainly  that  had  such  offer  been  received  she  would  not 
have  refused  it.  You  should  have  seen  her  last  summer, 
Captain  Ray,  when  we  waited  so  anxiously  for  news  from 
the  Potomac.  Her  face  was  a  study  as  her  eyes  ran  over 
the  list  of  casualties,  searching  not  for  her  amiable 
brother-in-law,  nor  yet  for  WiUard  Braxton,  their  hired 
man.  It  was  plain  to  me  as  daylight,  and  all  you  have 
to  do  is  to  follow  up  that  letter  with  another,  or  go  your 
self,  if  you  have  time,"  Bell  said,  as  she  rose  to  go, 
leaving  Mark  in  a  state  of  bewilderment  as  to  what  he 
had  heard. 

Who  withheld  that  letter?  and  why?  were  questions 
which  troubled  him  greatly,  nor  did  his  mother's  assurance 
that  it  did  not  matter  so  long  as  it  all  came  right  at 
last,  tend  wholly  to  reassure  him.  One  thing,  however, 
was  certain.  He  would  see  Helen  before  he  returned  to 
his  regiment.  He  would  telegraph  in  the  morning  to 
Washington,  and  then  run  the  risk  of  being  a  day  behind 
the  time  appointed  for  his  return  to  duty. 

"  Suppose  you  have  three  children  when  I  return,  in 
stead  of  two,  is  there  room  in  your  heart  for  the  third  ?  " 
he  asked  his  mother  when  next  morning  he  was  about 
starting  for  Silverton. 

"  Yes,  always  room  for  Helen,"  was  the  reply,  as  with 
a  kiss  of  benediction  Mrs.  Banker  sent  her  boy  away. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

CHRISTMAS  EVE   AT  SILVERTON". 

THERE  was  to  be  a  Christmas  tree  at  St.  John's,  and 
all  the  week  the  church  had  been  the  scene  of  much  con 
fusion.  But  the  work  was  over  now ;  the  church  was  swept 
and  dusted,  the  tree  with  its  gay  adornings  was  in  its 
place,  the  little  ones,  who  had  hindered  so  much,  were 
gone,  as  were  their  mothers,  and  Helen  only  tarried  with 
the  organ  boy  to  play  the  Christmas  Carol,  which  Katy 
was  to  sing  alone,  the  children  joining  in  the  chorus  as 


336  The  Cameron  Pride. 

they  had  been  trained  to  do.  It  was  very  quiet  there,  and 
pleasant,  with  the  fading  sunlight  streaming  through  the 
chancel  window,  lighting  up  the  cro?s  above  it,  and  falling 
softly  on  the  wall  where  the  evergreens  were  hung  with 
the  sacred  words,  "  Peace  on  earth  and  good  wil)  to 
wards  men."'  And  Helen  felt  the  peace  stealing  over  her 
as  she  sat  down  by  the  register  for  a  moment  ere  going 
to  the  organ  loft  where  the  boy  was  waiting  for  her.  Not 
even  the  remembrance  of  the  dark  war-cloud  hanging  over 
the  land  disturbed  her  then,  as  her  thoughts  went  back 
ward  eighteen  hundred  years  to  Bethlehem's  manger  and 
the  little  Child  whose  birth  the  angels  sang.  And  as  she 
thought,  that  Child  seemed  to  be  with  her,  a  living  pres 
ence  to  which  she  prayed,  leaning  her  head  upon  the  rail 
ing  of  the  pew  in  front,  and  asking  Him  to  keep  her  in 
the  perfect  peace  she  felt  around  her  now.  For  Mark 
Bay,  too,  she  prayed,  asking  God  to  keep  him  in  safety 
wherever  he  might  be,  whether  in  the  lonely  watch,  or  in 
some  house  of  God,  where  the  Christmas  carols  would  be 
sung  and  the  Christmas  story  told. 

As  she  lifted  up  her  head  her  hand  struck  against  the 
pocket  of  her  dress,  where  lay  the  letter  brought  to  her 
an  hour  or  so  ago — Bell's  letter — which  she  had  put  aside 
to  read  at  a  more  convenient  season. 

Taking  it  out,  she  tore  open  the  envelope,  starting  sud 
denly  as  another  letter,  soiled  and  jinsealed.  met  her  eye. 
She  read  Bell's  first,  and  then,  with  a  throbbing  heart, 
which  as  yet  would  not  believe,  she  took  up  Mark's,  un 
derstanding  now  much  that  was  before  mysterious  to  her. 
Juno's  call  came  to  her  mind,  and  though  she  was  un 
willing  to  charge  so  foul  a  wrong  upon  that  young  lady, 
she  could  find  no  other  solution  to  the  mystery.  There 
was  a  glow  of  indignation — Helen  had  scarcely  been 
mortal  without  it; — but  that  passed  away  in  pity  for  the 
misguided  girl  and  in  joy  at  the  happiness  opening  so 
broadly  before  her.  That  Mark  would  come  to  Silverton 
she  had  no  hope,  but  he  would  write — his  letter,  perhaps, 
was  even  then  on  the  way;  and  kissing  the  one  she  held, 
she  hid  it  in  her  bosom  and  went  up  to  where  the  organ- 
boy  had  for  several  minutes  been  kicking  at  stools  and 
books,  and  whistling  Old  John  Brown  by  way  of  attracting 


The  Cameron  Pride.  337 

attention.  The  boy  was  in  a  hurry,  and  asked  in  so  forlorn 
a  tone,  "  Is  we  going  to  play  ?  "  that  Helen  answered  good  • 
humoredly,  "  Just  a  few  minutes,  Billy.  I  want  to  try 
the  carol  and  the  opening,  which  I've  hardly  played  at 
all." 

With  an  air  of  submission  Bill  took  his  post  and  Helen 
began  to  play,  but  she  could  only  see  before  her,  "  I  have 
loved  you  ever  since  that  morning  when  I  put  the  lilies  in 
your  hair,"  and  played  so  out  of  time  and  tune  that  Billy 
asked,  "  What  makes  'em  go  so  bad  ?  " 

"I  can't  play  now;  I'm  not  in  the  mood,"1  she  said. 
"  I  shall  feel  better  by  and  by.  You  can  go  home  if  you 
like." 

Bill  needed  no  second  bidding,  but  catching  up  his  cap 
ran  vu-vm  the  stairs  and  out  into  the  porch,  just  as  up 
the  steps  a  young  man  came  hurriedly. 

"  Hallo,  boy."  he  cried,  grasping  the  collar  of  Bill's 
roundabout  and  holding  him  fast,  "  who's  in  the 
church  ?  " 

"  Darn  yer,  Jim  Sykes,  you  let  me  be,  or  I'll "  the 

boy  began,  but  when  he  paw  his  captor  was  not  Jim  Sykes, 
but  a  tall  man,  wearing  a  soldier's  uniform,  he  changed 
his  tone,  and  answered  civilly,  "I  thought  you  was  Jim 
Sykes,  the  biggest  bully  in  town,  who  is  allus  hectorin' 

us  boys.  Nobody  is  there  but  she Miss  Lennox — up 

where  the  organ  is,"  and  having  given  the  desired  infor 
mation,  Bill  ran  off,  \vondering  first  if  it  wasn't  Miss 
Helen's  beau,  and  wondering  next,  in  case  she  should  some 
time  get  married  in  church,  if  he  wouldn't  fee  the  organ- 
boy  as  well  as  the  sexton.  "  He  orto,"  Bill  soliloquized, 
"  for  I've  about  blowed  my  gizzard  out  sometimes,  when 
she  and  Mrs.  Cameron  sings  the  Te  Deum/' 

Meanwhile  Mark  Ray,  who  had  driven  first  to  the  farm 
house  in  quest  of  Helen,  entered  the  church,  and  stole 
noiselessly  up  the  stairs  to  where  Helen  sat  in  the  dim 
light,  reading  again  the  precious  letter  withheld  from  her 
so  long.  She  had  moved  her  stool  nearer  to  the  window, 
and  her  back  was  towards  the  door,  so  that  she  neither 
saw,  nor  heard,  nor  suspected  anything,  until  Mark,  bend 
ing  over  her  so  as  to  see  what  she  had  in  her  hand, 


338  The  Cameron  Pride. 

as  well  as  the  tear  she  had  dropped  upon  it,  clasped  both 
his  arms  about  her  neck,  and  drawing  her  face  over  back, 
kissed  her  fondly,  calling  her  his  darling,  and  saying  to 
her,  as  she  tried  to  struggle  from  him, 

"  I  know  I  have  a  right  to  call  you  darling,  by  that  tear 
on  my  letter,  and  the  look  upon  your  face.  Dear  Helen, 
we  have  found  each  other  at  last." 

It  was  so  unexpected  that  Helen  could  not  speak,  but 
she  let  her  head  rest  on  his  bosom,  where  he  had  laid  it, 
and  her  hand  crept  into  his,  so  that  he  was  answered, 
and  for  a  moment  he  only  kissed  and  caressed  the  fair 
girl  he  knew  now  was  his  own.  They  could  not  talk 
together  very  long,  for  Helen  must  go  home ;  but  he 
made  good  use  of  the  time  he  had,  telling  her  many 
things,  and  then  asking  her  a  question  which  made  her 
start  away  from  him  as  she  replied.  "  No,  no,  oh !  no,  not 
to-night — not  so  soon  as  that !  " 

"And  why  not,  Helen?"  he  asked,  with  the  manner 
of  one  who  was  not  to  be  denied.  "  Why  not  to-night,  so 
there  need  be  no  more  misunderstanding?  I'd  rather 
leave  you  as  my  wife  than  my  betrothed.  Mother  will 
like  it  better.  I  hinted  it  to  her  and  she  said  there  was 
room  for  you  in  her  love.  It  will  make  me  a  better  man, 
and  a  better  soldier,  if  I  can  say  'my  wife,'  as  other 
poldiers  do.  You  don't  know  what  a  charm  there  is  in  that 
word,  Helen.  It  keeps  a  man  from  3in,tand  if  I  should  die 
I  would  rather  you  should  bear  my  name,  and  share  in  my 
fortune.  Will  you,  Helen,  when  the  ceremonies  are  closed, 
will  you  go  up  to  that  altar  and  pledge  your  vows  to  me. 
I  cannot  wait  till  to-morrow:  my  leave  of  absence  expires 
to-day.  I  must  go  back  to-night,  but  you  must  first  be 
mine." 

Helen  was  shaking  as  with  a  chill,  but  she  made  him 
no  reply,  and  wrapping  her  cloak  and  furs  about  her, 
Mark  led  her  down  to  the  sleigh,  and  taking  his  seat 
beside  her,  drove  back  to  the  farm-house  where  the  family 
were  waiting  for  her.  Katy,  to  whom  Mark  first  com 
municated  his  desire,  warmly  espoused  his  cause,  and  that 
went  far  towards  reassuring  Helen,  who  for  some  time 
past  had  been  learning  to  look  up  to  Katy  as  to  an 


The  Cameron  Pride.  339 

older  sister,  so  sober,  so  earnest,  so  womanly  had  Katy 
grown  since  Wilford  went  away. 

"  It  is  so  sudden,  and  people  will  talk,"  Helen  said, 
knowing,  while  she  said  it,  how  little  she  cared  for  people, 
and  smiling  at  Katy's  reply. 

"  They  may  as  well  talk  about  you  awhile  as  me.  It 
is  not  so  bad  when  once  you  are  used  to  it." 

After  Katy,  Aunt  Betsy  was  Mark's  best  advocate. 
It  is  true  this  was  not  just  what  she  had  expected  when 
Helen  was  married.  The  infair  which  Wilford  had  de 
clined  was  still  in  Aunt  Betsy's  mind;  but  that,  she  re 
flected,  might  be  yet.  If  Mark  went  back  on  the  next 
train  there  could  be  no  proper  wedding  party  until  his 
return,  when  the  loaves  of  frosted  cake,  and  the  baked 
fowls  she  had  seen  in  imagination  should  be  there  in 
real,  tangible  form,  and  as  she  expressed  it  they  would 
have  a  "  high."  Accordingly  she  threw  herself  into  the 
scale  beginning  to  balance  in  favor  of  Mark,  and  when 
at  last  old  Whitey  stood  at  the  door,  ready  to  take  the 
family  to  the  church,  Helen  sat  upon  the  lounge  listen- 
iivir  half  bewildered  while  Katy  assured  her  that  she 
could  play  the  voluntary,  even  if  she  had  not  looked  at 
it,  that  she  could  lead  the  children  without  the  organ, 
and  in  short  do  everything  Helen  was  expected  to  do 
except  go  to  the  altar  with  Mark. 

"  That  I  leave  for  you,"  and  she  playfully  kissed  Helen's 
forehead,  as  she  tripped  from  the  room,  looking  back 
when  she  reached  the  door,  and  charging  the  lovers  not  to 
forget  to  come,  in  their  absorption  of  each  other. 

St.  John's  was  crowded  that  night,  the  children  occupy 
ing  the  front  seat,  with  looks  of  expectancy  upon  their 
faces,  as  they  studied  the  heavily  laden  tree,  the  boys  won 
dering  if  that  ball,  or  whistle,  or  wheelbarrow  was  for  them, 
and  the  girls  appropriating  the  tastefully-dressed  dolls 
showing  so  conspicuously  among  the  dark  green  foliago. 
The  Barlows  were  rather  late,  for  upon  Uncle  Ephraim 
devolved  the  duty  of  seeing  to  the  license,  and  as  he  had 
no  seat  in  that  house,  his  arrival  was  only  known  by  Aunt 
Betsy's  elbowing  her  way  to  the  front,  and  near  to  the 
Christmas  tree  which  she  had  helped  to  dress,  just  as  she 
had  helped  to  trim  the  church.  She  did  not  believe  in  such 


34°  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"  flummeries "  it  is  true  and  she  classed  them  with  the 
''  quirks,"  but  rather  than  "  see  the  gals  slave  themselves 
to  death/'  she  had  this  year  lent  a  helping  hand.  Don 
ning  two  shawls,  a  camlet  cloak,  a  knit  scarf  for  her  head, 
and  a  hood  to  keep  from  catching  cold,  she  had  worked 
early  and  late,  fashioning  the  most  wonderfully  shaped 
wreaths,  tying  up  festoons,  and  even  trying  her  hand  at 
a  triangle;  she  turned  her  back  resolutely  upon  crosses, 
which  were  more  than  her  Puritanism  could  endure. 
The  cross  was  a  c{  quirk,"  with  which  she'd  have  nothing 
to  do,  though  once,  when  Tvaty  seemed  more  than  usually 
bothered  and  wished  somebody  would  hand  her  tacks, 
Aunt  Betsy  relented  so  far  as  to  bring  the  hoop  she  was 
winding  close  to  Katy,  holding  the  little  nails  in  her 
mouth,  and  giving  them  out  as  they  were  wanted ;  but  with 
each  one  given  out,  conscientiously  turning  her  head  away, 
lest  her  eyes  should  fall  upon  what  she  conceived  the 
symbol  of  the  Romish  Church.  But  when  the  whole  was 
done,  none  were  louder  in  their  praises  than  Aunt  Betsy, 
who  was  guilty  of  asking  Mrs.  Deacon  Bannister,  when 
she  came  in  to  inspect,  "  why  the  Orthodox  couldn't  get  up 
some  such  doin's  for  their  Sunday  school.  It  pleased 
the  children  mightily." 

But  Mrs.  Deacon  Bannister  answered  with  some 
severity, 

"  We  don't  believe  in  shows  and  flays,  you  know," 
thus  giving  a  double  thrust,  and  showing  that  the  opera 
had  never  been  quite  forgotten.  "  Here's  a  pair  of  skates, 
though,  and  a  smellin'  bottle  I'd  like  to  have  put  on  for 
John  and  Sylvia/'  she  added,  handing  her  package  to 
Aunt  Betsy,  who,  while  seeing  the  skates  and  smelling 
bottle  suspended  from  a  bough,  was  guilty  of  wondering 
if  "  the  partaker  wasn't  most  as  bad  as  the  thief." 

This  was  in  the  afternoon,  and  was  all  forgotten  now, 
when  with  her  Sunday  clothes  she  never  would  have 
worn  in  that  jam  but  for  the  great  occasion,  Aunt  Betsy 
elbowed  her  way  up  the  middle  aisle,  her  face  wearing  a 
very  important  and  knowing  look,  especially  when  Uncle 
Ephraim's  tall  figure  bent  for  a  moment  under  the  hem 
lock  boughs,  and  then  disappeared  in  the  little  vestry  room 


The  Cameron  Pride.  341 

where  he  held  a  private  consultation  with  the  rector.  That 
she  knew  something  her  neighbors  didn't  was  evident,  but 
she  kept  it  to  herself,  turning  her  head  occasionally  to 
look  up  at  the  organ  where  Katy  was  presiding.  Others 
too,  there  were,  who  turned  their  heads  as  the  soft  music 
began  to  fill  the  church,  and  the  heavy  bass  rolled  up  the 
aisles,  making  the  floor  tremble  beneath  their  feet  and 
sending  a  thrill  through  every  vein.  It  was  a  skillful  hand 
which  swept  the  keys  that  night,  for  Katy  played  witli  her 
whole  soul — not  the  voluntary  there  before  her  in  printed 
form,  nor  any  one  thing  she  had  ever  heard,  but  taking 
parts  of  many  things,  and  mingling  them  with  strains  of 
her  own  improvising  she  filled  the  house  as  it  had  never 
been  filled  before,  playing  a  soft,  sweet  refrain  when  she 
thought  of  Helen,  then  bursting  into  louder,  fuller  tones, 
when  she  remembered  Bethlehem's  Child  and  the  song  the 
angels  sang,  and  then  as  she  recalled  her  own  sad  life 
since  she  knelt  at  the  altar  a  happy  bride,  the  organ  notes 
seemed  much  like  human  sobs,  now  rising  to  a  stormy 
pitch  of  passion,  wild  and  uncontrolled,  and  then  dying 
out  as  dies  the  summer  wind  after  a  fearful  storm.  Awed 
and  wonderstruck  the  organ  boy  looked  at  Katy  as  she 
played,  almost  forgetting  his  part  of  the  performance  in 
his  amazement,  and  saying  to  himself  when  she  had  fin 
ished, 

"  Guy,  ain't  she  a  brick  ? "  and  whispering  to  her, 
"Didn't  we  go  that  strong?" 

The  people  had  wondered  where  Helen  was,  as,  with 
out  the  aid  of  music,  Katy  led  the  children  in  their  carols, 
and  this  wonder  increased  when  it  was  whispered  round 
that  "  Miss  Lennox  had  come,  and  was  standing  with  a 
man  back  by  the  register." 

After  this  Aunt  Betsy  grew  very  calm,  and  could  enjoy 
the  distributing  of  the  gifts,  going  up  herself  two  or  three 
times,  and  wondering  why  anybody  should  think  of  her,  a 
good-for-nothing  old  woman.  The  skates  and  the  smelling 
bottle  both  went  safely  to  Sylvia  and  John,  while  Mrs. 
Deacon  Bannister  looked  radiant  when  her  name  was  called 
and  she  was  made  the  recipient  of  a  jar  of  butternut 
pickles,  such  as  only  Aunt  Betsy  Barlow  could  make. 


342  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"Miss  Helen  Lennox.  A  soldier  in  uniform,  from  one 
of  her  Sunday-school  scholars," 

The  words  rang  out  loud  and  clear,  as  the  Rector  held 
up  the  sugar  toy  before  the  amused  audience,  who  turned 
to  look  at  Helen,  blushing  so  painfully,  and  trying  to  hold 
back  the  man  in  a  soldier's  dress  who  went  quietly  up  the 
aisle,  receiving  the  gift  with  a  bow  and  smile  which  turned 
the  heads  of  half  the  ladies  near  him,  and  then  went  back 
to  Helen,  to  whom  he  whispered  something  which  made  her 
cheeks  grow  brighter  than  they  were  before,  while  she 
dropped  her  eyes  modestly. 

"  Who  is  he  ?  "  a  woman  asked,  touching  Aunt  Betsy's 
shoulder. 

"  Captain  Eay,  from  New  York,"  was  the  answer,  as 
Aunt  Betsy  gave  to  her  dress  a  little  broader  sweep,  and 
smoothed  the  bow  she  had  tried  to  tie  beneath  her  chin, 
just  as  Mattie  Tubbs  had  tied  it  on  the  memorable  opera 
night. 

The  tree,  by  this  time,  was  nearly  empty.  Every  child 
had  been  remembered,  save  one,  and  that  the  organ  boy, 
who,  separated  from  his  companions,  stood  near  Helen, 
watching  the  tree  wistfully,  while  shadows  of  hope  and 
disappointment  passed  alternately  over  his  face,  as  one 
after  another  the  presents  were  distributed  and  nothing 
came  to  him. 

"  There  ain't  a  darned  thing  on  it  for  me,"'  he  exclaimed 
at  last,  when  boy  nature  could  endilre  no  longer ;  and 
Mark  turned  towards  him  just  in  time  to  see  the  gather 
ing  mist,  which  but  for  the  most  heroic  efforts  would  have 
merged  into  tears. 

"  Poor  Billy !  "  Helen  said,  as  she  too  heard  his  com 
ment,  "  I  fear  he  has  been  forgotten.  His  teacher  is  ab 
sent,  and  he  so  faithful  at  the  organ  too." 

Mark  knew  now  who  the  boy  was,  and  after  a  hurried 
consultation  with  Helen,  who  suggested  that  money  would 
probably  be  more  acceptable  than  even  skates  or  jack- 
knives,  neither  of  which  were  possible  now,  folded  some 
thing  in  a  bit  of  paper,  on  which  he  wrote  a  name,  and 
then  sent  it  to  the  Rector. 

"  Billy  Brown,  our  faithful  organ  boy,"  sounded  through 
the  church;  and  with  a  brightened  face  Billy  went  up  the 


The  Cameron  Pride.  343 

aisle  and  received  the  little  package,  ascertaining  before 
he  reached  his  standpoint  near  the  door,  that  he  was  the 
owner  of  a  five  dollar  bill,  and  mentally  deciding  to  add 
both  peanuts  and  molasses  candy  to  the  stock  of  apples 
he  daily  carried  into  the  cars. 

"  You  gin  me  this,"  he  said,  nodding  to  Mark,  "  and 
you,"  turning  to  Helen,  "  poked  him  up  to  it.*' 

"  Well  then,  if  I  did,"  Mark  replied,  laying  his  hand 
on  the  boy's  coarse  hair,  "  you  must  take  good  care  of 
Miss  Lennox  when  I  am  gone.  I  leave  her  in  your  charge. 
She  is  to  be  my  wife." 

"  Gorry,  I  thought  so ; "  and  Bill's  cap  went  towards 
the  plastering,  just  as  the  last  string  of  pop-corn  was 
given  from  the  tree,  and  the  exercises  were  about  to  close. 

It  was  not  in  Aunt  Betsy's  nature  to  keep  her  secret 
till  this  time;  and  simultaneously  with  Billy's  going  up 
for  his  gift,  she  whispered  it  to  her  neighbor,  who  whis 
pered  it  to  hers,  who  whispered  it  to  hers,  until  nearly  all 
the  audience  knew  of  it,  and  kept  their  seats  after  the 
benediction  was  pronounced. 

At  a  sign  from  the  rector,  Katy  went  with  her  mother 
to  the  altar,  followed  by  Uncle  Ephraim,  his  wife,  and 
Aunt  Betsy,  while  Helen,  throwing  off  the  cloud  she  had 
worn  upon  her  head,  and  giving  it,  with  her  cloak  and 
fur,  into  Billy's  charge,  took  Mark's  arm,  and  with  beat 
ing  heart  and  burning  cheeks  passed  between  the  sea  of 
eyes  fixed  so  curiously  upon  her,  up  to  where  Katy  once 
stood  on  the  June  morning,  when  she  had  been  the  bride. 
Not  now,  as  then,  were  aching  hearts  present  at  the 
bridal.  No  Marian  Hazelton  fainted  by  the  door;  no 
Morris  felt  the  world  grow  dark  and  desolate  as  the  mar 
riage  vows  were  spoken;  and  no  sister  doubted  if  it  were 
all  right  and  would  end  in  happiness. 

The  ceremony  lasted  but  a  few  moments,  and  then  the 
astonished  audience  pressed  around  the  bride,  offering 
their  kindly  congratulations,  and  proving  to  Mark  Eay 
that  the  bride  he  had  won  was  dear  to  others  as  well  as 
to  himself.  Lovingly  he  drew  her  hand  beneath  his  arm, 
fondly  he  looked  down  upon  her  as  he  led  her  back  to 
her  chair  by  the  register,  making  her  sit  down  while  he 
tied  on  her  cloak,  and  adjusted  the  fur  about  her  neck. 


344  The  Cameron  Pride. 

e<  Handy  and  gentle  as  a  woman/7  was  the  verdict  pro 
nounced  upon  him  by  the  female  portion  of  the  congre 
gation,  as  they  passed  out  into  the  street,  talking  of  the 
ceremony,  and  contrasting  Helen's  husband  with  the 
haughty  Wilford,  who  was  not  a  favorite  with  them. 

It  was  Billy  Brown  who  brought  Mark's  cutter  round, 
and  held  the  reins,  while  Mark  helped  Helen  in,  and  then 
he  lii..K.d  the  buffalo  robes  about  her  with  the  remark, 
"  It's  all-fired  cold,  Miss  Ray.  Shall  you  play  in  church 
to-morrow  ?  " 

Assured  that  she  would,  Billy  walked  away,  and  Mark 
was  alone  with  his  bride,  and  slowly  following  the  dea 
con's  sleigh,  which  reached  the  farm-house  a  long  time 
before  the  little  cutter,  so  that  a  fire  was  already  kindled 
in  the  parlor  when  Helen  arrived,  and  also  in  the  kitchen 
stove,  where  the  tea-kettle  was  boiling;  for  Aunt  Betsy 
said  "the  chap  should  have  some  supper  before  he  went 
back  to  York." 

Four  hours  he  had  to  stay,  and  they  were  spent  in  talk 
ing  of  himself,  of  Wilfovl,  and  of  Morris,  and  in  plan 
ning  Helen's  future.  Of  course  she  would  spend  a  por 
tion  of  her  time  at  the  farm-house,  he  said;  but  his 
mother  had  a  claim  upon  her,  and  it  was  his  wish  that 
she  should  be  in  New  York  as  much  as  possible. 

Swiftly  the  last  moments  went  by,  and  a  "  Merry  Christ 
mas  "  was  said  by  one  and  another  as  they  took  their  seats 
at  the  plentiful  repast  Aunt  Betsy  Had  provided,  Mark 
feasting  more  on  Helen's  face  than  on  the  viands  spread 
before  him.  It  was  hard  for  him  to  leave  her,  hard  for 
her  to  let  him  go;  but  the  duty  was  imperative,  and  so 
when  at  last  the  frosty  air  grew  keener  as  the  small  hours 
of  night  crept  on,  he  stood  with  his  arms  about  her,  nor 
thought  it  unworthy  ">t  a  soldier  that  his  own  tears  min 
gled  with  hers,  as  h^  3>ade  her  good-bye,  kissing  her  again 
and  again,  and  calling  her  his  precious  wife,  whose  mem 
ory  would  make  his  camp  life  brighter,  and  shorten  the 
days  of  absence.  There  was  no  one  with  them,  when  at 
last  Mark's  horse  dashed  from  the  yard  over  the  creaking 
snow,  leaving  Helen  alone  upon  the  doorstep,  with  the 
glittering  stars  shining  above  her  head,  and  her  husband's; 
farewell  kiss  wet  upon  her  lips. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  345 

"  When  shall  we  meet  again  ?  "  she  sobbed,  gazing  up 
at  the  clear  blue  sky,  as  if  to  find  the  answer  there. 

But  only  the  December  wind  sweeping  down  from  the 
steep  hillside,  and  blowing  across  her  forehead,  made  reply 
to  that  questioning,  as  she  waited  till  the  last  faint  sound 
of  Mark  Ray's  bells  died  away  in  the  distance,  and  then, 
shivering  with  cold,  re-entered  the  farmhouse.  ' 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

AFTER  CHRISTMAS  EVE. 

MERRILY  rang  the  bells  next  day,  but  Helen's  heart  was 
very  sad  as  she  met  the  smiling  faces  of  her  friends,  and 
Mark  had  never  been  prayed  for  more  earnestly  than  on 
that  Christmas  morning,  when  Helen  knelt  at  the  altar 
rail,  and  received  the  sacred  symbols  of  a  Saviour's  dying 
love,  asking  that  God  would  keep  the  soldier  husband, 
hastening  on  to  New  York,  and  from  thence  to  Washing 
ton.  Much  the  Silvertonians  discussed  the  wedding,  and 
had  Helen  been  the  queen,  she  could  hardly  have  been 
stared  at  more  curiously  than  she  was  that  Christmas  day, 
when  late  in  the  afternoon  she  drove  through  the  town  with 
Katy,  the  villagers  looking  admiringly  after  her,  noting 
the  tie  of  her  bonnet,  the  arrangement  of  her  face  trim 
mings,  and  discovering  in  both  style  and  fitness  they  had 
never  discovered  before.  As  the  wife  of  Mark  Ray,  Helen 
became  suddenly  a  heroine,  in  whose  presence  poor  Katy 
subsided  completely ;  nor  was  the  interest  at  all  diminished 
when,  two  days  later,  Mrs.  Banker  came  to  Silverton  and 
was  met  at  the  depot  by  Helen,  whom  she  hugged  affec 
tionately,  calling  her  "my  dear  daughter,"  and  holding 
her  hand  all  the  way  to  the  covered  sleigh  waiting  there 
for  her. 

Mrs.  Banker  was  very  fond  of  Helen;  and  not  even  the 
sight  of  the  farm-house,  with  its  unpolished  inmates, 
awakened  a  feeling  of  regret  that  her  only  son  had  not 
looked  higher  for  a  wife.  She  was  satisfied  with  her  new 


346  The  Cameron  Pride. 

daughter,  and  insisted  upon  taking  her  back  to  New 
York. 

"  I  am  very  lonely  now,  lonelier  than  you  can  possibly 
.be,"  she  said  to  Mrs.  Lennox,  "  and  you  will  not  refuse 
her  to  me  for  a  few  weeks  at  least.  It  will  do  us  both 
good,  and  make  the  time  of  Mark's  absence  so  much 
shorter." 

"  Yes,  mother,  let  Helen  go.  I  will  try  to  fill  her 
place,"  Katy  said,  though  while  she  said  it  her  heart 
throbbed  with  pain  and  dread  as  she  thought  how  deso 
late  she  should  be  without  her  sister. 

But  it  was  right,  and  Katy  urged  Helen's  going,  bear 
ing  up  bravely  so  long  as  Helen  was  in  sight,  but  shed 
ding  bitter  tears  when  at  last  she  was  gone,  tears  which 
were  only  stayed  when  kind  old  Uncle  Ephraim  offered  to 
take  her  to  the  little  grave,  where,  from  experience,  he 
knew  she  always  found  rest  and  peace.  The  winter  snows 
were  on  it  now,  but  Katy  knew  just  where  the  daisies  were, 
and  the  blue  violets  which  with  the  spring  would  bloom 
again,  feeling  comforted  as  she  thought  of  that  eternal 
spring  in  the  bright  world  above,  where  her  child  had 
gone.  And  so  that  night,  when  they  gathered  again  around 
the  fire  in  the  pleasant  little  parlor,  the  mother  and  the 
old  people  did  not  miss  Helen  half  so  much  as  they  had 
feared  they  might,  for  Katy  sang  her  sweetest  songs  and 
wore  her  sunniest  smile,  while  she  told  them  of  Helen's 
new  home,  and  talked  of  whatever  else  she  thought  would 
interest  and  please  them. 

"  Little  Sunbeam,"  Uncle  Ephraim  called  her  now.  in 
stead  of  "  Katy-did,"  and  in  his  prayer  that  first  night  of 
Helen's  absence  he  asked,  in  his  touching  way,  "  that  God 
would  bless  his  little  Sunbeam,  and  not  let  her  grow  tired 
of  living  there  alone  with  folks  so  odd  and  old." 


"  MARRIED — On  Christmas  Eve,  at  St.  John's  Church, 
Silverton,  Mass.,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kelly,  Capt.  MARK  RAY, 
of  the  — th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.,  to  Mies  HELEN- 
LENNOX,  of  Silverton." 


The  Cameron  Pride.  347 

Such  was  the  announcement  which  appeared  in  sev 
eral  of  the  New  York  papers  two  days  after  Christmas,  and 
such  the  announcement  which  Bell  Cameron  read  at  the 
breakfast  table  on  the  morning  of  the  day  when  Mrs. 
Banker  started  for  Silverton. 

"  Here  is  something  which  will  perhaps  interest  you/' 
she  said,  passing  the  paper  to  Juno,  who  had  come  down 
late,  and  was  looking  cross  and  jaded  from  the  effects  of 
last  night's  dissipation. 

Taking  the  paper  from  her  sister's  hand,  Juno  glanced 
at  the  paragraph  indicated  by  Bell;  then,  as  she  caught 
Mark's  name,  she  glanced  asrain  with  a  startled,  incredu- 
ITQS  look,  her  cheeks  and  lips  turning  white  as  she  read 
that  Mark  Ray  was  lost  to  her  forever,  and  that  in  spite 
of  the  .stolen  letter  Helen  Lennox  was  his  wife. 

"What  is  it,  Juno?"  Mrs.  Cameron  asked,  noticing  her 
daughter's  agitation. 

Juno  told  her  what  it  was,  and  then  handing  her  the 
paper  let  her  read  it  for  herself. 

"  Impossible !  there  is  some  mistake !  How  was  it 
brought  about  ? "  Mrs.  Cameron  said,  darting  a  curious 
glance  at  Bell,  whose  face  betrayed  nothing  as  she  leisurely 
sipped  her  coffee  and  remarked,  "  I  always  thought  it 
would  come  to  this,  for  I  knew  he  liked  her.  It  is  a 
splendid  match." 

Whatever  Juno  thought  she  kept  it  to  herself,  just  as 
she  kept  her  room  the  entire  day,  complaining  of  a  racking 
headfiohe,  and  ordering  the  curtains  to  be  dropped,  as  the 
light  hurt  her  eyes,  she  said  to  Bell,  who,  really  pitying 
her  now,  never  suggested  that  the  darkened  room  was  more 
to  hide  her  tears  than  to  save  her  eyes,  and  who  sent  away 
all  callers  with  the  message  that  Juno  was  sick — all  but 
Sybil  Grandon,  who  insisted  so  hard  upon  seeing  her  dear 
friend  that  she  was  admitted  to  Juno's  room,  talking  at 
once  of  the  wedding,  and  making  every  one  of  Juno's 
nerves  quiver  with  pain  as  she  descanted  upon  the  splendid 
match  it  was  for  Helen,  or  indeed  for  any  girl. 

"  I  had  given  you  to  him,"  she  said,  "  but  I  see  I  was 
mistaken.  It  was  Helen  he  preferred,  unless  you  jilted 
him,  as  perhaps  you  did.'3" 


348  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Here  was  a  temptation  Juno  could  not  resist,  and  she 
replied,  haughtily, 

"  I  am  not  one  to  boast  of  conquests,  but  ask  Captain 
Ray  himself  if  you  wish  to  know  why  I  did  not  marry 
him." 

Sybil  Grandon  was  not  deceived,  but  she  good-naturedly 
suffered  that  young  lady  to  hope  she  was,  and  answered, 
laughingly,  "  I  can't  say  I  honor  your  judgment  in  re 
fusing  him,  but  you  know  best.  However,  I  trust  that  will 
not  prevent  your  friendly  advances  towards  his  bride. 
Mrs.  Banker  has  gone  after  her,  I  understand,  and  I  want 
you  to  call  with  me  as  soon  as  convenient.  Mrs.  Marl- 
Ray  will  be  the  belle  of  the  season,  depend  upon  it,';  and 
gathering  up  her  furs  Mrs.  Grandon  kissed  Juno  affec 
tionately  and  then  swept  from  the  room. 

That  Mrs.  Cameron  had  hunted  for  and  failed  to  find 
the  stolen  letter,  and  that  she  associated  its  disappearance 
with  Mark  Ray's  sudden  marriage,  Bell  was  very  sure, 
from  the  dark,  anxious  look  upon  her  face  when  she  came 
from  her  room,  whither  she  had  repaired  immediately  after 
breakfast;  but  whatever  her  suspicions  were,  they  did  not 
find  form  in  words.  Mark  was  lost.  It  was  too  late  to 
help  that  now,  and  as  a  politic  woman  of  the  world,  Mrs. 
Cameron  decided  to  let  the  matter  rest,  and  by  patronizing 
the  young  bride  prove  that  she  had  never  thought  of  Mark 
Ray  for  her  son-in-law.  Hence  it  was  that  the  Cameron 
carriage  and  the  Grandon  carriage  stood  together  before 
Mrs.  Banker's  door,  while  the  ladies  who  had  come  in  the 
carriages  paid  their  respects  to  Mrs.  Ray,  rallying  her  upon 
the  march  she  had  stolen  upon  them,  telling  her  how 
delighted  they  were  to  have  her  back  again,  and  hoping 
they  should  see  each  other  a  great  deal  during  the  coming 
winter. 

The  Camerons  and  Sybil  Grandon  were  not  alone  in 
calling  upon  the  bride.  Those  who  had  liked  Helen  Len 
nox  did  not  find  her  less  desirable  now  that  she  was 
Helen  Ray,  and  numberless  were  the  attentions  bestowed 
upon  her  and  the  invitations  she  received. 

But  with  few  exceptions  Helen  declined  the  latter,  feel 
ing  that  with  her  husband  in  so  much  danger,  it  was  bet 
ter  not  to  mingle  in  gay  society.  She  was  very  happy 


The  Cameron  Pride.  349 

with  Mrs.  Banker,  who  petted  and  caressed  and  loved  her 
almost  as  much  as  if  she  had  been  her  own  daughter. 
Mark's  letters,  too,  which  came  nearly  every  day,  were 
bright  sun-spots  in  her  existence,  so  full  were  they  of 
tender  love  and  kind  thoughtfulness  for  her.  He  was  very 
happy,  he  wrote,  in  knowing  that  at  home  there  was  a 
dear  little  brown-haired  wife,  waiting  and  praying  for  him, 
and  but  for  the  separation  from  her  he  was  well  content 
with  a  soldier's  life.  Once  Helen  thought  seriously  of 
going  to  him  for  a  week  or  more,  but  the  project  was  pre 
vented  by  the  sudden  arrival  in  ISTew  York  of  Katy,  who 
came  one  night  to  Mrs.  Banker's,  with  hor  face  as  white 
as  ashes,  and  a  wild  expression  in  her  eyes  as  she  said  to 
Helen, 

"  I  am  going  to  Wilford.  He  is  dying.  He  has  sent  for 
me.  I  ought  to  go  on  to-night,  but  cannot,  my  head 
aches  so,"  and  pressing  both  her  hands  upon  her  head 
Katy  sank  fainting  into  Helen's  arms. 


CHAPTER    XLIII. 

GEORGETOWN  HOSPITAL. 

GEORGETOWN,  February — ,  1862. 

MRS.  WILFORD  CAMERON: 

Your  husband  cannot  live  long.     Come  immediately. 

M.  HAZELTON." 

So  read  the  -telegram  received  by  Katy  one  winter  morn 
ing,  and  which  stunned  her  for  a  few  minutes  so  that  she 
could  neither  feel  nor  think.  But  the  reaction  came  soon 
enough,  bringing  with  it  only  the  remembrance  of  Wil- 
ford's  love.  All  the  wrong,  the  harshness,  was  forgotten, 
and  only  the  desire  remained  to  fly  at  once  to  Wilford. 
Bravely  she  kept  up  until  New  York  was  reached,  when 
the  tension  of  her  nerves  gave  way,  and  she  fainted,  as 
we  have  seen. 

At  Father  Cameron's  a  telegram  had  been  received,  tell- 


35o  The  Cameron  Pride. 

ing  of  Wilford's  danger.  But  the  mother  could  not  go  to 
him.  A  lung  difficulty,  to  which  she  was  subject,  had 
confined  her  to  the  house  for  many  days,  and  so  it  was  the 
father  and  Bell  who  made  their  hasty  preparations  for  the 
hurried  journey  to  Georgetown.  They  heard  of  Katy's 
arrival,  and  Bell  came  at  once  to  see  her. 

"  She  will  not  be  able  to  join  us  to-morrow,"  was  the 
report  Bell  carried  home,  for  she  saw  more  than  mere  ex 
haustion  in  the  white  face  lying  so  motionless  on  Helen's 
pillow,  with  the  dark  rings  about  the  eyes,  and  the  quiver 
of  the  muscles  about  the  mouth. 

"It  is  very  hard,  but  God  knows  best/'  poor  Katy 
moaned,  when  the  next  day  her  father  and  Bell  went  with 
out  her. 

<e  Yes,  darling,  God  knows  best,"  Helen  answered, 
smoothing  the  bright  hair,  and  thinking  sadly  of  the  young 
officer  sitting  by  his  camp-fire,  and  waiting  so  eagerly  for 
the  bride  who  could  not  go  to  him  now.  "  God  knows 
what  is  best,  and  does  all  for  the  best." 

Katy  said  it  many  times  that  long,  long  week,  during 
which  she  stayed  with  Helen,  living  from  day  to  day  upon 
the  letters  sent  by  Bell,  who  gave  but  little  hope  that 
Wilford  would  recover.  Not  a  word  did  she  say  of  Mar 
ian,  and  only  twice  did  she  mention  Morris,  who  was  one 
of  the  physicians  in  that  hospital,  so  that  when  at  last 
Katy  was  strong  enough  to  venture  on  the  journey,  she  had 
but  little  idea  of  what  had  transpired  in  Wilford's  sick 
room. 


Those  were  sad,  weary  days  which  Wilford  first  passed 
upon  his  hospital  cot,  and  as  he  was  not  sick  but  crip 
pled,  he  had  ample  time  for  reviewing  the  past,  which 
came  up  before  his  mind  as  vividly  as  if  he  had  been  liv 
ing  again  the  scenes  of  bygone  days.  Of  Katy  he  thought 
continually,  repenting  of  his  rashness,  and  wishing  so 
much  that  the  past  could  be  undone.  Disgusted  with 
soldier  life,  he  had  wished  himself  at  home  a  thousand 
times,  but  never  by  a  word  had  he  admitted  such  a  wish 
to  any  living  being,  and  when,  on  the  dark,  rainy  after- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  351 

noon  which  first  saw  him  in  the  hospital,  he  turned  his 
face  to  the  wall  and  wept,  he  replied  to  one  who  said  to 
him  soothingly, 

"  Don't  feel  badly,  my  young  friend.  We  will  take  as 
good  care  of  you  here  as  if  you  were  at  home." 

"It's  the  pain  which  brings  the  tears.  I'd  as  soon  be 
here  as  at  home." 

Gradually,  however,  there  came  a  change,  and  Wilford 
grew  softer  in  his  feelings,  half  resolving  to  send  for  Katy, 
who  had  offered  to  come,  and  to  whom  he  had  replied, 
"It  is  not  necessary."  But  as  often  as  he  resolved,  his 
evil  genius  whispered,  "  She  does  not  care  to  come,"  and 
so  the  message  was  never  sent,  while  the  longing  for  home 
faces  brought  on  a  nervous  fever,  which  made  him  so 
irritable  that  his  attendants  turned  from  him  in  disgust, 
thinking  him  the  most  unreasonable  man  they  ever  met 
with.  Once  he  dreamed  Genevra  was  there — that  her 
fingers  threaded  his  hair  as  they  used  to  do  in  the  happy 
days  at  Brighton — that  her  hand  was  on  his  brow,  her 
breath  upon  his  face,  and  with  a  start  he  awoke,  just  as 
the  rustle  of  female  garments  died  away  in  the  hall. 

"  The  nurse  in  the  second  ward  has  been  in  here,"  a 
comrade  said.  "  She  seemed  specially  interested  in  you, 
and  if  she  had  not  been  a  sti anger,  I  should  have  said 
she  was  crying  over  you." 

With  a  quick,  sudden  movement,  Wilford  put  his  hand 
to  liis  cheek,  where  there  was  a  tear,  either  his  own  or  that 
of  the  "nurse,"  who  had  recently  bent  over  him.  Ketain- 
ing  the  same  proud  reserve  which  had  characterized  his 
whole  life,  he  asked  no  questions,  but  listened  to  what  his 
companions  were  saying  of  the  beauty  and  tenderness  of 
the  "  young  girl,"  as  they  called  her,  who  had  glided  for  a 
few  moments  into  their  presence,  winning  their  hearts  in 
that  short  space  of  time,  and  making  them  wish  she  would 
come  back  again.  Wilford  wished  so  too,  conjuring  up  all 
sorts  of  conjectures  about  the  unknown  nurse,  and  once 
going  so  far  as  to  fancy  it  was  Katy  herself.  But  Katy 
would  hardly  venture  there  as  nurse,  and  if  she  did  she 
would  not  keep  aloof  from  him.  It  was  not  Katy,  and  if 
not,  who  was  it  that  twice  when  he  was  sleeping  came  and 
looked  at  him,  his  comrades  said,  rallying  him  upon  the 


352  The  Cameron  Pride. 

conquest  he  had  made,  and  so  exciting  his  imagination 
that  the  fever  began  to  increase,  and  the  blood  throbbed 
hotly  through  his  veins,  while  his  brows  were  knit  to 
gether  with  thoughts  of  the  mysterious  stranger.  Then, 
with  a  great  shock  it  occurred  to  him  that  Katy  had 
affirmed,  "  Genevra  is  alive/' 

What  if  it  were  so,  and  this  nurse  were  Genevra?  The 
very  idea  fired  Wilford's  brain,  and  when  next  his  phy 
sician  came  he  looked  with  alarm  upon  the  great  change 
for  the  worse  exhibited  by  his  patient. 

"Shall  I  send  for  your  friends ?"  he  asked,  and  Wil- 
ford  answered,  savagely, 

"  I  have  no  friends — none  at  least,  but  what  will  be 
glad  to  know  I'm  dead." 

And  that  was  the  last,  except  the  wild  words  of  a 
maniac,  which  came  from  Wilford's  lips  for  many  a  day 
and  night.  When  they  said  he  was  unconscious,  Marian 
Hazelton  obtained  permission  to  attend  him,  and  again  the 
eyes  of  the  other  occupants  of  the  room  were  turned  won- 
deringly  towards  her  as  she  bent  over  the  sick  man,  parting 
his  matted  hair,  smoothing  his  pillow,  and  holding  the 
cooling  draught  to  the  parched  lips  which  muttered 
strange  things  of  Brighton,  of  Alnwick  and  Eome — of 
the  heather  on  the  Scottish  moors,  and  the  daisies  on 
Genevra's  grave,  where  Katy  once  sat  down. 

"  She  did  not  know  Genevra  was  there,"  he  said ;  "  but 
I  knew,  and  I  felt  as  if  the  dead  were  wronged  by  that 
act  of  Katy's.  Do  you  know  Katy?"  and  his  blade  eyes 
fastened  upon  Marian,  who  soothed  him  into  quiet,  while 
she  talked  to  him  of  Katy,  telling  of  her  graceful  hoauty, 
her  loving  heart,  and  the  sorrow  she  would  feel  when  she 
heard  how  sick  he  was. 

"Shall  I  send  for  her?"  she  asked,  but  Wilford  an 
swered, 

"  No,  I  am  satisfied  with  you." 

This  was  her  first  day  with  him,  but  there  were  other 
days  when  all  her  strength,  and  that  of  Morris,  who, 
at  her  earnest  solicitation,  came  to  her  aid,  was  required 
to  keep  him  on  his  bed.  He  was  going  home,  he  said, 
going  to  Katy;  and  like  a  giant  he  writhed  under  a  force 


The  Cameron  Pride.  353 

superior  to  his  own,  and  which  held  him  down  and  con 
trolled  him,  while  his  loud  outcries  filled  the  building,  and 
sent  a  shudder  to  the  hearts  of  those  who  heard  them. 
As  the  two  men,  who  at  first  had  occupied  the  room  with 
him,  were  well  enough  to  leave  for  home,  Marian  and  Mor 
ris  both  begged  that,  unless  absolutely  necessary,  no  other 
one  should  be  sent  to  that  small  apartment,  where  all  the 
air  was  needed  for  the  patient  in  their  charge.  And  thus 
the  room  was  left  alone  for  Wilford,  who  grew  worse  so 
fast  that  Marian  telegraphed  to  Katy,  bidding  her  come 
at  once. 


Slowly  the  wintry  night  was  passing,  the  fifth  since 
Marian's  message  was  sent  to  Katy,  and  Morris  sat  by 
Wilford's  cot,  when  suddenly  he  met  Wilford's  eyes  fixed 
upon  him  with  a  look  of  recognition  he  could  not  mistake. 

"  Do  you  know  me  ?  "  he  asked  BO  kindly,  and  with  so 
much  of  genuine  sympathy  in  his  voice,  that  the  heavy 
eyelids  quivered  for  an  instant,  as  Wilford  nodded  his 
head,  and  whispered, 

"  Dr.  Grant." 

There  had  been  a  momentary  flash  of  resentment  when 
he  saw  the  watcher  beside  him,  but  Wilford  was  too  weak, 
too  helpless  to  cherish  that  feeling  long,  and  besides  there 
were  floating  through  his  still  bewildered  mind  visions  of 
some  friendly  hand,  which  had  ministered  to  him  daily — 
of  a  voice  and  form,  distinct  from  the  one  he  thought  an 
angel's,  and  which  was  not  there  now  with  him.  That 
voice,  that  form,  he  felt  sure  belonged  to  Morris  Grant, 
and  remembering  his  past  harshness  toward  him,  a  chord 
•f  gratitude  was  touched,  and  when  Morris  took  his  hand 
he  did  not  at  once  withdraw  it,  but  let  his  long,  white  fin 
gers  cling  around  the  warm,  vigorous  ones,  which  seemed 
to  impart  new  life  and  strength. 

"  You  have  been  very  sick/''  Morris  said,  anticipating 
the  question  Wilford  would  ask.  "  You  are  very  sick  still, 
and  at  the  request  of  your  nurse  I  came  to  attend  you/' 

A  pressure  of  the  hand  was  Wilford's  reply,  and  then 


354  The  Cameron  Pride. 

there  was  silence  between  them,  while  Wilford  mastered 
all  his  pride,  and  with  quivering  lips  whispered, 

"Katy!" 

"We  have  sent  for  her.  We  expect  her  every  train," 
Morris  replied,  and  Wilford  asked, 

"Who  has  been  with  me — the  nurse,  I  mean?  Who  is 
she?" 

Morris  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  said, 

"Marian  Hazelton." 

"  I  know — yes,"  Wilford  replied,  having  no  suspicion 
as  to  who  was  standing  outside  his  door,  and  listening, 
with  a  throbbing  heart,  to  his  rational  questions. 

In  all  their  vigils  held  together  no  sign  had  ever  passed 
from  Dr.  Grant  to  Marian  that  he  knew  her,  but  he  had 
waited  anxiously  for  this  moment,  knowing  that  Wilford 
must  not  be  shocked,  as  a  sight  of  Marian  would  shock  him. 
He  knew  she  was  outside  the  door,  and  as  Wilford  turned 
his  head  upon  the  pillow,  he  went  to  her,  and  leading  her 
to  a  safe  distance,  said  softly, 

"  His  reason  has  returned." 

"  And  my  services  are  ended,"  Marian  rejoined,  looking 
him  steadily  in  the  face,  but  not  in  the  least  prepared 
for  his  affirmative  question. 

"You  are  Oenevra  Lambert?" 

There  was  a  low,  gasping  sound  of  surprise,  and  Mar 
ian  staggered  forward  a  step  or  too,  then  steadying  her 
self,  she  said. 

"  And  if  I  am,  it  surely  is  not  best  for  him  to  see  me. 
You  would  not  advise  it  ?  " 

She  looked  wistfully  at  Morris,  the  great  desire  to  be 
recognized,  to  be  spoken  to  kindly  by  the  man  who  once 
had  been  her  husband  overmastering  for  a  moment  all  her 
prudence. 

"  It  would  not  be  best,  both  for  his  sake  and  Katy's," 
Morris  said,  and  with  a  moan  like  the  dying  out  of  her 
last  hope,  Marian  turned  away,  her  eyes  dim  with  tears 
and  her  heart  heavy  with  a  sense  of  something  lost,  as 
in  the  gray  dawn  of  the  morning  she  went  back  to  her 
former  patients,  who  hailed  her  coming  with  childish  joy, 
one  fair  young  boy  from  the  Granite  hills  kissing  the 


The  Cameron  Pride.  355 

hand  which  bandaged  his  poor  crushed  arm  so  tenderly, 
and  thanking  her  that  she  had  returned  to    him  again. 


"  Mr.  J.  Cameron,  Miss  Bell  Cameron,"  were  the  names 
on  the  cards  sent  to  Dr.  Grant  late  that  afternoon,  and  in 
a  few  moments  he  was  with  the  father  and  sister  who  asked 
so  anxiously  for  Wilford  and  explained  why  Katy  was 
not  with  them. 

Wilford  was  sleeping  when  they  entered  his  room,  his 
face  looking  so  worn  and  thin,  and  his  hands  folded  so 
helplessly  upon  his  breast,  that  with  a  gush  of  tears  Bell 
knelt  beside  him,  and  laying  her  warm  cheek  against  his 
bony  one,  woke  him  with  her  sobs.  For  a  moment  he 
seemed  bewildered,  then  recognizing  her,  he  raised  his 
feeble  arm  and  winding  it  about  her  neck,  kissed  her  more 
tenderly  than  he  had  ever  done  before.  He  had  not  been 
demonstrative  of  his  affection  for  his  sisters.  But  Bell 
was  his  favorite,  and  he  held  her  close  to  him  while  his 
eyes  moved  past  his  father,  whom  he  did  not  see,  on  to 
the  door  as  if  in  quest  of  someone.  It  was  Katy,  and  guess 
ing  his  thoughts,  Bell  said, 

"  She  is  not  here.  She  could  not  come  now.  She  is 
sick  in  New  York,  but  will  join  us  in  a  few  days.'* 

There  was  a  look  of  intense  disappointment  in  Wilford's 
face,  which  even  his  father's  warm  greeting  could  not  dis 
sipate,  and  Morris  saw  the  great  tears  as  they  dropped 
upon  the  pillow,  the  proud  man  trying  hard  to  repress 
them,  and  asking  no  questions  concerning  any  one  at 
home.  He  was  too  weak  to  talk,  but  he  held  Bell's  hand 
in  his  as  if  afraid  that  she  would  leave  him,  while  his 
eyes  rested  alternately  upon  her  face  and  that  of  his 
father,  who,  wholly  unmanned  at  the  fearful  change  in  his 
son,  laid  his  head  upon  the  bed  and  cried  aloud. 

Next  morning  Bell  was  very  white  and  her  voice  trem 
bled  as  she  came  from  a  conference  with  Dr.  Morris,  who 
had  told  her  that  her  brother  would  die. 

"  He  may  live  a  week,  and  he  may  not,"  he  said,  adding 
solemnly,  "  As  his  sister  you  will  tell  him  of  his  danger, 


356  The  Cameron  Pride. 

while  there  is  time  to  seek  the  refuge  without  which  death 
is  terrible." 

"  Oh,  if  I  could  only  pray  with  and  for  him !  "  Bell 
thought,  as  she  went  to  her  brother,  mourning  her  mis 
spent  days,  and  feeling  her  courage  giving  way  when  at 
last  she  stood  in  his  presence  and  met  his  kindly  smile. 

"  I  dreamed  that  you  were  not  here  after  all,"  he  said, 
"  I  am  so  glad  to  find  it  real.  How  long  before  I  can  go 
home,  do  you  suppose  ?  " 

He  had  stumbled  upon  the  very  thing  Bell  was  there 
to  talk  about,  his  question  indicating  that  he  had  no  sus 
picion  of  the  truth.  Nor  had  he;  and  it  came  like  a 
thunderbolt  when  Bell,  forgetting  all  her  prudence,  said 
impetuously, 

"  Oh,  Wilford,  maybe  you'll  never  go  home.  Maybe 
you'll » 

"Not  die"  Wilford  exclaimed,  clasping  his  hands  with 
sudden  emotion.  "Not  die — you  don't  mean  that?  Who 
told  you  so  ?  " 

"  I)r.  Grant,"  was  Bell's  reply,  which  brought  a  fierce 
frown  to  Wilford's  face,  and  awoke  all  the  angry  passions 
of  his  heart. 

"  Dr.  Grant,"  he  repeated.  "  He  would  like  me  re 
moved  from  his  path;  but  it  shall  not  be.  I  will  not 
die.  Tell  him  that.  I  will  not  die,"  and  Wilford's  voice 
was  hoarse  with  passion  as  he  raised  his  clenched  fists  in 
the  air. 

He  was  terribly  excited,  and  in  her  fright  Bell  ran  for 
Dr.  Grant.  But  Wilford  motioned  him  back,  hurling 
after  him  words  which  kept  him  from  the  room  the  entire 
day,  while  the  sick  man  rolled,  and  tossed,  and  raved  in 
the  delirium,  which  had  returned,  and  which  wore  him 
out  so  fast.  No  one  had  the  least  influence  over  him, 
except  Marian  Hazelton,  who,  without  a  glance  at  Mr. 
Cameron  or  Bell,  glided  to  his  side,  and  with  her  presence 
and  gentle  words  soothed  him  into  comparative  quiet,  so 
that  the  bitter  denunciations  against  the  saint,  who  wanted 
him  to  die,  ceased,  and  he  fell  into  a  troubled  sleep. 

With  a  strange  feeling  of  interest  Mr.  Cameron  and 
Bell  watched  her,  wondering  if  she  were  indeed  Genevra, 
as  Katy  had  affirmed.  They  would  not  ask  her;  and 


The  Cameron  Pride.  357 

6oth  breathed  more  freely  when,  with  a  bow  in  acknowl 
edgment  of  Mr.  Cameron's  compliment  to  her  skill  in 
quieting  his  son,  she  left  the  room. 

That  night  they  watched  with  Wilford,  who  slept  off 
his  delirium,  and  lay  with  his  face  turned  from  them,  so 
that  they  could  not  guess  by  its  expression  what  was  pass 
ing  in  his  mind. 

All  the  next  day  he  maintained  the  most  frigid  silence, 
answering  only  in  monosyllables,  while  Bell  kept  wiping 
away  the  great  drops  of  sweat  constantly  oozing  out  upon 
his  forehead  and  about  the  pallid  lips. 

Just  at  nightfall  he  startled  Bell  by  asking  that  Dr. 
Grant  be  sent  for. 

"Please  leave  me  alone  with  him,"  he  said,  when  Dr. 
Morris  came;  then  turning  to  Morris,  as  the  door  closed 
upon  his  father  and  his  sister,  he  said  abruptly, 

"Pray  for  me,  if  you  can  pray  for  one  who  yesterday 
hated  you  so  for  saying  he  must  die." 

Earnestly,  fervently,  Morris  prayed,  as  for  a  dear 
brother ;  and  when  he  finished,  Wilford's  faint  "  Amen  " 
sounded  through  the  room. 

"  I  am  not  right  yet,"  the  pale  lips  whispered,  as  Mor 
ris  sat  down  beside  him.  "  Not  right  with  God,  I  mean. 
I've  sometimes  said  there  was  no  God ;  but  I  did  not  be 
lieve  it;  and  now  I  know  there  is.  He  has  been  moving 
upon  me  all  the  day,  driving  out  my  bitterness  toward 
you,  and  causing  me  to  send  for  you  at  last.  Do  you 
think  there  is  hope  for  me?  I  have  much  to  be  forgiven." 

"  Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  white 
as  snow,"  Morris  replied;  and  then  he  tried  to  point  that 
erring  man  to  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  taketh  away  the 
sins  of  the  world,  convincing  him  that  there  was  hope  even 
for  him,  and  leaving  him  with  the  conviction  that  God 
would  surely  finish  the  good  work  begun,  nor  suffer  this 
soul  to  be  lost  which  had  turned  to  Him  at  the  eleventh 
hour. 

Wilford  knew  his  days  were  numbered,  and  he  talked 
freely  of  it  to  his  father  and  sister  the  next  morning  when 
they  came  to  him.  He  did  not  say  that  he  was  ready  or 
willing  to  die,  only  that  he  must,  and  he  asked  them  to 


358  The  Cameron  Pride. 

forget,  when  he  was  gone,  all  that  had  ever  been  amiss 
in  him  as  a  son  and  brother. 

"  I  was  too  proud,  too  selfish,  to  make  others  happy," 
he  said,  "  I  thought  it  all  over  yesterday,  and  the  past 
came  back  again  so  vividly,  especially  the  part  connected 
with  Katy.  Oh,  Katy,  I  did  abuse  her ! "  and  a  bitter  sob 
attested  the  genuineness  of  Wilford's  grief  for  his  treat 
ment  of  Katy.  "  I  despised  her  family,  I  treated  them 
with  contempt.  I  broke  Katy's  heart,  and  now  I  must 
die  without  telling  her  I  am  sorry.  But  you'll  tell  her, 
Bell,  how  I  tried  to  pray,  but  could  not  for  thoughts  of 
my  sin  to  her.  She  will  not  be  glad  that  I  am  dead.  I 
know  her  better  than  to  think  that;  and  I  believe  she 
loves  me.  But,  after  I  am  gone,  and  the  duties  of  the 
world  have  closed  up  the  gap  I  shall  leave,  I  see  a  brighter 
future  for  her  than  her  past  has  been;  and  you  may  tell 

her  I  am "  He  could  not  say,  "I  am  willing."  Few 

husbands  could  have  done  so  then,  and  he  was  not  an 
exception. 

Wholly  exhausted,  he  lay  quiet  for  a  moment,  and  when 
he  spoke  again,  it  was  of  Genevra.  Even  here  he  did  not 
try  to  screen  himself.  He  was  the  one  to  blame,  he  said, 
Genevra  was  true,  was  innocent,  as  he  ascertained  too  late. 

"  Would  you  like  to  see  her,  if  she  was  living  ?  "  came 
to  Bell's  lips;  but  the  fear  that  it  would  be  too  great  a 
shock,  prevented  their  utterance. 

He  had  no  suspicion  of  her  presence;  and  it  was  best 
he  should  not.  Katy  was  the  one* uppermost  in  his  mind; 
and  in  the  letter  Bell  sent  to  her  next  day,  he  tried  to 
write,  "  Good-bye,  my  darling ; >?  but  the  words  were 
scarcely  legible,  and  his  nerveless  hand  fell  helpless  at  his 
side  as  he  said, 

"  She  will  never  know  the  effort  it  cost  me,  nor  hear 
me  say  that  I  hope  I  am  forgiven.  It  came  to  me  last 
night;  and  now  the  way  is  not  so  dark,  but  Katy  will  not 
know." 


The  Cameron  Pride.  359 


CHAPTER   XLIV. 

LAST   HOURS. 

KATY  would  Tcnow;  for  she  was  coming  at  last.  A  tele 
gram  had  announced  that  she  was  on  the  road;  and  with 
nervous  restlessness  Wilford  asked  repeatedly  what  time  it 
was,  reducing  the  hours  to  minutes,  and  counting  his  own 
pulses  to  see  if  he  could  last  so  long. 

"  Save  me,  Doctor/'  he  whispered  to  Morris,  "  keep  me 
alive  till  Katy  comes.  I  must  see  Katy  again." 

And  Morris,  tenderer  than  a  brother,  did  all  he  could 
to  keep  the  feeble  breath  from  going  out  ere  Katy  came. 

The  train  was  due  at  five;  but  it  was  dark  in  the  hos 
pital,  and  from  every  window  a  light  was  shining,  when 
Morris  carried,  rather  than  led,  a  quivering  figure  up  the 
stairs  and  through  the  hall  to  the  room  where  the  Cam- 
erons  were,  the  father  standing  at  the  foot  of  Wilford's 
bed,  and  Bell  bending  over  his  pillow,  administering  the 
stimulants  which  kept  her  brother  alive.  When  Katy 
came  in,  she  moved  away,  as  did  her  father,  while  Morris 
too  stepped  back  into  the  hall;  and  thus  the  husband  and 
wife  were  left  alone. 

"  Katy,  precious  Katy,  you  have  forgiven  me  ? "  Wil 
ford  whispered,  and  the  rain  of  tears  and  kisses  on  his 
face  was  Katy's  answer  as  she  hung  over  him. 

She  had  forgiven  him,  and  she  told  him  so  when  she 
found  voice  to  talk,  wondering  to  find  him  so  changed 
from  the  proud,  exacting,  self-worshiping  man  to  the 
humble,  repentant  and  self-accusing  person,  who  took  all 
blame  of  the  past  to  himself,  and  exonerated  her  from 
every  fault.  But  when  he  drew  her  close  to  him,  and 
whispered  something  in  her  ear,  she  knew  whence  came 
the  change,  and  a  reverent  "  Thank  the  good  Father," 
dropped  from  her  lips. 

"  The  way  was  dark  and  thorny,"  Wilford  said,  mak- 


360  The  Cameron  Pride. 

ing  her  sit  down  where  he  could  see  her  as  he  talked,  "  and 
only  for  God's  goodness  I  should  have  lost  the  path.  But 
he  sent  Morris  Grant  to  point  the  road,  and  I  trust  I 
am  in  it  now.  I  wanted  to  tell  you  with  my  own  lips 
how  sorry  I  am  for  what  I  have  made  you  suffer;  but 
sorriest  of  all  for  sending  Baby  away.  Oh,  Katy,  you  do 
not  know  how  that  rested  upon  my  conscience.  Forgive 
me,,  Katy,  that  I  robbed  you  of  your  child." 

He  was  growing  very  weak,  and  he  looked  so  white 
and  ghastly  that  Katy  called  for  Bell,  who  came  with  her 
father,  and  the  three  stood  together  around  the  bedside 
of  the  dying. 

"  You  will  remember  me,  Katy,"  he  said,  "  but  you 
cannot  mourn  for  me  always,  and  sometime  in  the  future 
you  will  cease  to  be  my  widow,  and,  Katy,  I  am  willing. 
I  wanted  to  tell  you  this,  so  that  no  thought  of  me  should 
keep  you  from  a  life  where  you  will  be  happier  than  I 
have  made  you." 

Wholly  bewildered,  Katy  made  no  reply,  and  Wilford 
was  silent  a  few  moments,  in  which  he  seemed  partially 
asleep.  Then  rousing  up,  he  said, 

"You  said  once  that  Genevra  was  not  dead.  Did  you 
mean  it,  Katy?" 

Frightened  and  bewildered,  Katy  turned  appealingly 
to  her  father-in-law,  who  answered  for  her,  "  She  meant 
it — Genevra  is  not  dead,"  while  a  blood-red  flush  stained 
Wilford's  face,  and  his  fingers  beatlthe  bedspread  thought 
fully. 

"  I  fancied  once  that  she  was  here — that  she  was  the 
nurse  the  boys  praise  so  much.  But  that  was  a  delusion," 
he  said,  and  without  a  thought  of  the  result,  Katy  asked 
impetuously,  "  if  she  were  here  would  you  care  to  see 
her?" 

There  was  a  startled  look  on  Wilford's  face,  and  he 
grasped  Katy's  hand  nervously,  his  frame  trembling  with 
t  dread  of  the  great  shock  which  he  felt  impending  over 
him. 

"  Is  she  here  ?  Was  the  nurse  Genevra  ? "  he  asked. 
Then,  as  his  mind  went  back  to  the  past,  he  answered  his 
own  question  by  asserting  "  Marian  Hazelton  is  Genevra." 

They  did  not  contradict  him,  nor  lid  he  ask  to  see  her. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  361 

With  Katy  there  he  felt  he  had  better  not;  but  after  a 
moment  he  continued,  "  It  is  all  so  strange.  I  thought 
her  dead.  I  do  not  comprehend  how  it  can  be.  She  has 
been  kind  to  me.  Tell  her  I  thank  her  for  it.  I  was  un 
just  to  her.  I  have  much  to  answer  for." 

Between  each  v.'ord  he  uttered  there  was  a  gasp  for 
breath,  and  Father  Cameron  opened  the  window  to  ad 
mit  the  cool  rn«^:t  air.  But  nothing  had  power  to  revive 
him.  He  was  going  very  fast,  Morris  said,  as  he  took  his 
stand  by  the  bedside  and  watched  the  approach  of  death. 
There  were  no  convulsive  struggles,  only  heavy  breathings, 
which  grew  farther  and  farther  apart,  until  at  last  Wil- 
ford  drew  Katy  close  to  him,  and  winding  his  arm  around 
her  neck,  whispered, 

"  I  am  almost  home,  my  darling,  and  all  is  well.  Be 
kind  to  Genevra  for  my  sake.  I  loved  her  once,  but  not  as 
I  love  you." 

He  never  spoke  again,  and  a  few  minutes  later  Morris 
led  Katy  from  the  room,  and  then  went  out  to  give  or 
ders  for  the  embalming. 


In  the  little  room  she  called  her  own,  Marian  Hazel- 
ton  sat,  her  beautiful  hair  disordered,  and  her  eyes  dim 
with  the  tears  she  had  shed.  She  knew  that  Wilford  was 
dead,  and  as  if  his  dying  had  brought  back  all  her  olden 
love  she  wept  bitterly  for  the  man  who  had  so  darkened 
her  life.  She  had  not  expected  to  see  him  with  Katy 
present;  but  now  that  it  was  over  she  might  go  to  him. 
There  could  be  no  harm  in  that.  No  one  but  Morris 
would  know  who  she  was,  she  thought,  when  there  came 
a  timid  knock  upon  her  door,  and  Katv  entered,  her  face 
very  pale,  and  her  manner  very  calm,  as  she  came  to 
Marian,  and  kneeling  down  beside  her,  laid  her  head  in 
her  lap  with  the  air  of  a  weary  child  who  has  sought  its 
mother  for  rest. 

"Poor  little  Katy!  "  Marian  said;  "your  husband,  they 
tell  me,  is  dead." 

"Yes;"  and  Katy  lifted  up  her  head,  mvl  fiyrn<r  nor 
eyes  earnestly  upon  Marian,  continued,  "Vr.il ford  is 


362  The  Cameron  Pride. 

but  before  he  died  he  left  a  message  for  Genevra  Lambert. 
Will  she  hear  it  now  ?  " 

With  a  sudden  start  Marian  sprang  to  her  feet,  and  de 
manded,  "Who  told  you  of  Genevra  Lambert?" 

"  Wilford  told  me  months  ago,  showing  me  her  picture, 
which  I  readily  recognized,  and  I  have  pitied  you  so 
much,  knowing  you  were  innocent.  Wilford  thought  you 
were  dead,"  Katy  said,  flinching  a  litpi  before  Marian's 
burning  gaze,  which  fascinated  even  while  it  startled  her. 

It  is  not  often  that  two  women  meet  bearing  to  each 
other  the  relations  these  two  bore,  and  it  is  not  strange 
that  both  felt  constrained  and  embarrassed  as  they  stood 
looking  at  each  other.  As  Marian's  was  the  stronger 
nature,  so  she  was  the  first  to  rally,  and  with  the  tears 
swimming  in  her  eyes  she  drew  Katy  closely  to  her,  and 
said, 

"  Now  that  he  is  gone  I  am  glad  you  know  it.  Mine 
has  been  a  sad  life,  but  God  has  helped  me  to  bear  it. 
You  say  he  believed  me  dead.  Sometime  I  will  tell  vou 
how  that  came  about;  but  now,  his  message, — he  left  one, 
you  say?" 

Carefully  Katv  repeated  every  word  Wilford  had  said, 
and  with  a  gasping  cry  Marian  wound  her  arms  around 
her  neck,  exclaiming, 

"  And  you  will  love  me,  because  I  have  suffered  so 
much.  You  will  let  me  call  you  K#ty  when  we  are  alone. 
It  brings  you  nearer  to  me." 

Marian  was  now  the  weaker  of  the  two,  and  it  was 
Katy's  task  to  comfort  her,  as  sinking  back  in  her  chair 
she  sobbed, 

"  He  did  love  me  once.  He  acknowledged  it  at  the  last, 
before  them  all,  his  wife,  his  father  and  his  sister.  Do 
they  know?"  she  suddenly  asked,  and  when  assured  that 
they  did,  she  relapsed  into  a  silent  mood,  while  Katy  stole 
quietly  out  and  left  her  there  alone. 

Half  an  hour  later  and  a  female  form  passed  hurriedly 
through  the  hall  and  across  the  threshold  into  the  cham 
ber  where  the  dead  man  lay.  There  was  no  one  with  him 
now,  and  Marian  was  free  to  weep  out  the  pent-up  sorrow 
of  her  life,  which  she  did  with  choking  sobs  and  pas 
sionate  words  poured  into  the  ear,  deaf  to  every  human 


The  Cameron  Pride.  363 

sound.  A  step  upon  the  floor  startled  her,  and  turning 
round  she  stood  face  to  face  with  Wilford's  father,  who 
was  regarding  her  with  a  look  which  she  mistook  for  one 
of  reproof  and  displeasure  that  she  should  be  there. 

"  Forgive  me/'  she  said ;  "  he  was  my  husband  once,  and 
surely  now  that  he  is  dead  you  will  not  begrudge  me  a 
few  last  moments  with  him  for  the  sake  of  the  days  when 
he  loved  me." 

There  were  many  tender  chords  in  the  heart  of  Father 
Cameron,  and  offering  Marian  his  hand,  he  said, 

"  Far  be  it  from  me  to  refuse  you  this  privilege.  I 
pity  you,  Genevra;  I  believe  he  dealt  unjustly  by  you, — 
but  I  will  not  censure  him  now  that  he  is  gone.  He  was 
my  only  boy.  Oh,  Wilford,  Wilford!  you  have  left  me 
very  lonely." 

He  released  her  hand,  and  Marian  fled  away,  meeting 
next  with  Bell,  who  felt  that  she  must  speak  to  her,  but 
was  puzzled  what  to  say.  Bell  could  not  define  her  feel 
ings  towards  Marian,  or  why  she  shrunk  from  approach 
ing  her.  It  was  not  pride,  but  rather  a  feeling  of  preju 
dice,  as  if  Marian  were  in  some  way  to  blame  for  all  the 
trouble  which  had  come  to  them,  while  her  peculiar  posi 
tion  as  the  divorced  wife  of  her  brother  made  it  the  more 
embarrassing.  But  she  could  not  resist  the  mute  plead 
ing  of  the  eyes  lifted  so  tearfully  to  her,  as  if  asking  for 
a  nod  of  recognition,  and  stopping  before  her  she  said, 
softly, 

"  Genevra/' 

That  was  all,  but  it  made  Genevra's  tears  flow  in  tor 
rents,  and  she  involuntarily  held  her  hand  out  to  Bell, 
who  took  it,  and  holding  it  between  her  own,  said, 

"  You  were  very  kind  to  my  brother.  I  thank  you  for  it, 
and  will  tell  my  mother,  who  will  feel  so  grateful  to  you." 

This  was  a  good  deal  for  Bell  to  say,  and  after  it  was 
said,  she  hastened  away  while  Marian  went  on  her  daily 
round  of  duties,  speaking  softer  if  possible  to  her  patients 
that  day,  and  causing  them  to  wonder  what  had  come 
over  that  sweet  face  to  make  it  so  white  and  tear-stained. 
That  night  in  Marian's  room  Katy  sat  and  listened  to 
what  she  did  not  before  know  of  the  strange  story  kept 
from  her  so  long.  Marian  confirmed  all  Wilford  had 


364  The  Cameion  Pride. 

told,  breathing  no  word  of  blame  against  him  now  that 
he  was  dead,  only  stating  facts,  and  leaving  Katy  to 
draw  her  csvn  conclusions. 

"  I  knew  that  I  was  handsome/'  she  said,  "  and  I 
liked  to  test  my  power;  but  for  that  weakness  I  have  been 
sorely  punished.  I  had  not  at  first  any  intention  of  mak 
ing  him  believe  that  I  was  dead,  and  when  I  sent  the 
paper  containing  the  announcement  of  father's  death,  I 
was  not  aware  that  it  also  contained  the  death  of  my 
cousin,  a  beautiful  girl  just  my  age,  who  bore  our  grand 
mother's  name  of  Genevra,  and  about  whom  and  a  young 
English  lord,  who  had  hunted  one  season  in  her  father's 
neighborhood,  there  were  some  scandalous  reports.  After 
wards  it  occurred  to  me  that  Wilford  would  see  that  notice, 
and  naturally  think  it  referred  to  me,  inasmuch  as  he  knew 
nothing  of  my  cousin  Genevra. 

"It  was  just  as  well,  I  said — I  was  dead  to  him,  and  I 
took  a  strange  satisfaction  in  wondering  if  he  would  care. 
Incidentally  I  heard  that  the  postmaster  at  Alnwick  had 
beon  written  to  by  an  American  gentleman,  who  asked  if 
such  a  person  as  Genevra  Lambert  was  buried  at  St. 
Mary's ;  and  then  I  knew  he  believed  me  dead,  even  though 
the  name  appended  to  the  letter  was  not  Wilford  Cam 
eron,  nor  was  the  writing  his;  for,  as  the  cousin  of  the 
dead  Genevra,  I  asked  to  see  the  letter,  and  my  request  was 
granted.  It  was  Mrs.  Cameron  who  wrote  it,  I  am  sure, 
signing  a  feigned  name  and  bidding  the  postmaster  an 
swer  to  that  address.  He  did  so,  assuring  the  inquirer 
that  Genevra  Lambert  was  buried  there,  and  wondering  to 
me  if  the  young  American  who  seemed  interested  in  her 
could  have  been  a  lover  of  the  unfortunate  girl. 

"  I  was  now  alone  in  the  world,  for  the  aunt  with 
whom  my  childhood  was  passed  died  soon  after  my  father, 
and  so  I  went  at  last  to  learn  a  trade  on  the  Isle  of 
Wight,  emigrating  from  thence  to  New  York,  with  the 
determination  in  my  rebellious  heart  that  sometime,  when 
it  would  cut  the  deepest,  I  would  show  myself  to  the 
proud  Camerons,  whom  I  so  cordially  hated.  This  was 
before  God  had  found  me,  or  rather  before  I  had  listened 
to  the  still,  small  voice  which  took  the  hard,  vindictive 
feelings  away,  and  made  me  feel  kindly  towards  the 


The  Cameron  Pride.  365 

mother  and  sisters  when  I  saw  them,  as  I  often  used  to  do, 
driving  gayly  by.  Wilford  was  sometimes  with  them,  and 
the  sight  of  him  always  sent  the  hot  blood  surging  through 
my  heart.  But  the  greatest  shock  I  ever  had  came  to  me 
vhen  I  heard  from  your  sister  of  his  approaching  mar 
riage  with  you.  Those  were  terrible  days  that  I  passed 
at  the  farm-house,  working  on  your  bridal  trousseau ;  and 
sometimes  I  thought  it  more  than  I  could  bear.  Had 
you  been  other  than  the  little,  loving,  confiding,  trustful 
girl  you  were,  I  must  have  disclosed  the  whole,  and  told 
that  you  would  not  be  the  first  who  had  stood  at  the  altar 
with  Wilford.  But  pity  for  you  kept  me  silent,  and  you 
became  his  wife. 

"I  loved  your  baby  almost  as  much  as  if  it  had  been 
my  own,  and  when  it  died  there  was  nothing  to  bind  me 
to  the  North,  and  so  I  came  here,  where  I  hope  I  have 
done  some  good ;  at  least  I  was  here  to  care  for  Wilford, 
and  that  is  a  sufficient  reward  for  all  the  toil  which  falls 
to  the  lot  of  a  hospital  nurse.  I  shall  stay  until  the  war 
is  ended,  and  then  go  I  know  not  where.  It  will  not  be 
best  for  us  to  meet'  very  often,  for  though  we  respect 
each  other,  neither  can  forget  the  past,  nor  that  one  was 
the  lawful,  the  other  the  divorced  wife  of  the  same  man. 
I  have  loved  you,  Katy  Cameron,  for  your  uniform  kind 
ness  shown  to  the  poor  dressmaker.  I  shall  always  love 
3^ou,  but  our  paths  lie  widely  apart.  Your  future  I 
can  predict,  but  mine  God  only  knows." 

Marian  had  said  all  she  meant  to  say,  and  all  Katy 
came  to  hear.  The  latter  was  to  leave  in  the  morning, 
and  when  they  would  meet  again  neither  could  tell.  Few 
were  the  parting  words  they  spoke,  for  the  great  common 
sorrow  welling  up  from  their  hearts;  but  when  at  last  they 
said  good-bye,  the  bond  of  friendship  between  them  was. 
more  strongly  cemented  than  ever,  and  Katy  long  remem 
bered  Marian's  parting  words, 

"  God  bless  you,  Katy  Cameron !  You  have  been  a  bright 
sun  spot  in  my  existence  since  I  first  knew  you,  even 
though  you  have  stirred  some  of  the  worst  impulses  of  my 
nature.  I  am  a  better  woman  for  having  known  you.  God 
bless  you,  Katy  Cameron !  " 


366  The  Cameron  Pride. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

MOURNING. 

THE  grand  funeral  which  Mrs.  Cameron  once  had 
planned  for  Katy  was  a  reality  at  last,  but  the  breathless 
form  lying  so  cold  and  still  in  the  darkened  room  at  No. 
—  Fifth  Avenue,  was  that  of  a  soldier  embalmed — an 
only  son  brought  back  to  his  father's  house  amid  sadness 
and  tears.  They  had  taken  him  there  rather  than  to  his 
own  house,  because  it  was  the  wish  of  his  mother,  who, 
however  hard  and  selfish  she  might  be  to  others,  had 
idolized  her  son,  and  mourned  for  him  truly,  forgetting  in 
her  grief  to  care  how  grand  the  funeral  was,  and  feeling 
only  a  passing  twinge  when  told  that  Mrs.  Lennox  had 
come  from  Silverton  to  pay  the  last  tribute  of  respect  to 
her  late  son-in-law.  Some  little  comfort  it  was  to  have  her 
boy  lauded  as  a  faithful  soldier,  and  to  hear  the  commenda 
tions  lavished  upon  him  during  the  time  he  lay  in  state, 
with  his  uniform  around  him;  but  when  the  whole  was 
over,  and  in  the  gray  of  the  wintry  afternoon  her  husband 
returned  from  Greenwood,  there  came  over  her  a  feeling 
of  such  desolation  as  she  had  never* known — a  feeling 
which  drove  her  at  last  to  the  little  room  upstairs,  where 
sat  a  lonely  man,  his  head  bowed  upon  his  hands,  and  his 
tears  dropping  silently  upon  the  hearth-stone  as  he,  too, 
thought  of  the  vacant  parlor  below  and  the  new  grave 
at  Greenwood. 

"  Oh,  husband,  comfort  me ! "  fell  from  her  lips  as  she 
tottered  to  her  husband,  who  opened  his  arms  to  receive 
her,  forgetting  all  the  years  which  had  made  her  the  cold, 
proud  woman,  who  needed  no  sympathy,  and  remembering 
only  that  bright  green  summer  when  she  was  first  his 
bride,  and  came  to  him  for  comfort  in  every  little  griev 
ance,  just  as  now  she  came  in  this  great,  crushing  sor 
row. 

He  did  not  tell  her  she  was  reaping  what   she   had 


The  Cameron  Pride.  367 

sown,  that  but  for  her  pride  and  deception  concerning 
Genevra,  Wilford  might  never  have  gone  to  the  war,  or 
they  been  without  a  son.  He  did  not  reproach  her  at  all, 
)iit  soothed  her  tenderly,  calling  her  by  her  maiden  name, 
and  awkwardly  smoothing  her  hair,  silvered  now  with  gray, 
aid  feeling  for  a  moment  that  Wilford  had  not  died  in 
vain,  if  by  his  dying  he  gave  back  to  his  father  the  wife 
so  lost  during  the  many  years  since  fashion  and  folly 
had  been  the  idols  she  worshiped.  But  the  habits  of  years 
couli  not  be  lightly  broken,  and  Mrs.  Cameron's  mind 
soon  became  absorbed  in  the  richness  of  her  mourning,  and 
the  strict  etiquette  of  her  mourning  days.  To  Katy  she 
was  very  kind,  caressing  her  with  unwonted  affection,  and 
scarcely  suffering  her  to  leave  her  sight,  much  less  to  stay 
for  a  day  at  Mrs.  Banker's,  where  Katy  secretly  pre 
ferred  \o  be.  Of  Genevra,  too,  she  talked  with  Katy,  and 
at  her  instigation  wrote  a  friendly  letter,  thanking  Mrs. 
Lambert  for  all  her  kindness  to  her  son,  expressing  her 
sorrow  that  she  had  ever  been  so  unjust  to  her,  and  send 
ing  her  a  handsome  locket,  containing  on  one  side  a  lock 
of  Wilford's  hair,  and  on  the  other  his  picture,  taken  from 
a  large  sized  photograph.  Mrs.  Cameron  felt  herself  a 
very  good  woman  after  she  had  done  all  this,  together  with 
receiving  Mrs.  Lennox  at  her  own  house,  and  entertaining 
her  for  one  whole  day;  but  at  heart  there  was  no  real 
change,  and  as  time  passed  on  she  gradually  fell  back  into 
her  old  ways  of  thinking,  and  went  no  more  for  comfort 
to  her  husband  as  she  had  on  that  first  night  after  the 
burial. 

With  Mr.  Cameron  the  blow  struck  deeper,  and  his 
Wall  Street  friends  talked  together  of  the  old  man  he  had 
grown  since  Wilford  died,  while  Katy  often  found  him 
bending  over  his  long-neglected  Bible,  as  he  sat  alone  in 
his  room  at  night.  And  when  at  last  she  ventured  to 
speak  to  him  upon  the  all  important  subject,  he  put  his 
hand  in  hers,  and  bade  her  teach  him  the  narrow  way 
which  she  had  found,  and  wherein  Wilford  too  had  walked 
at  the  very  last,  they  hoped. 

For  many  weeks  Katy  lingered  in  New  York,  and  the 
June  roses  were  blooming  when  she  went  back  to  Silverton, 
a  widow  and  the  rightful  owner  of  all  Wilford's  ample 


368  The  Cameron  Pride. 

fortune.  They  had  found  among  his  papers  a  will,  drawn 
up  and  executed  no.t  long  before  his  illness,  and  in  which 
Katy  was  made  his  heir,  without  condition  or  stipulation. 
All  was  hers  to  do  with  as  sho  pleased,  and  Katy  wept 
passionately  when  she  heard  how  generous  Wilford  hpd 
been.  Then,  as  she  thought  of  Marian  and  the  life  of 
poverty  before  her,  she  crept  to  Father  Cameron's  sUe5 
and  said  to  him,  pleadingly, 

"  Let  Genevra  share  it  with  me.  She  needs  it  quite  as 
much." 

Father  Cameron  would  not  permit  Katy  to  civide 
equally  with  Marian.  It  was  not  jnst,  he  said;  but  he 
did  not  object  to  a  few  thousands  going  to  her,  and  be 
fore  Katy  left  K"ew  York  for  Silverton,  she  wrote  a  long, 
kind  letter  to  Marian,  presenting  her  with  ten  thousand 
dollars,  which  she  begged  her  to  accept,  not  so  much  as  a 
gift,  but  as  her  rightful  due.  There  was  a  moment's 
hesitancy  on  the  part  of  Marian  when  she  read  the  letter, 
a  feeling  that  she  could  not  take  so  much  from  Katy; 
but  when  she  looked  at  the  pnle  sufferers  around  her,  and 
remembered  how  manv  wretched  hearts  that  money  would 
help  to  cheer,  she  said, 

"  I  will  keep  it." 


CHAPTER  XLVI, 

PRISONERS  OF  WAR. 

THE  heat,  the  smoke,  the  thunder  of  the  battle  were 
over,  and  the  fields  of  Gettysburg  were  drenched  with 
human  blood  and  covered  with  the  dead  and  dying.  The 
contest  had  been  fearful,  and  its  results  carried  sorrow 
and  anguish  to  many  a  heart  waiting  for  tidings  from  the 
war,  and  looking  so  anxiously  for  the  names  of  the  loved 
ones  who,  on  the  anniversary  of  the  day  which  saw  our 
nation's  Independence,  lay  upon  the  hills  and  plains  of 
Gettysburg,  their  white  faces  upturned  to  the  summer  sky, 
and  wet  with  the  rain  droDS.  which,  like  tears  for  the  noble 
dead,  the  pitying  clouds  had  shed  upon  them.  And  no- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  369 

where,  perhaps,  was  there  a  whiter  face  or  a  more  anxious 
heart  than  at  the  farm-house,  where  both  Helen  and  her 
mother-in-law  were  spending  the  hot  July  days.  Since 
the  Christmas  eve  when  Helen  had  watched  her  husband 
going  from  her  across  the  wintry  snow,  he  had  not  been 
back,  though  several  times  he  had  made  arrangements  to 
do  so.  Something,  however,  had  always  happened  to  pre 
vent.  Once  it  was  sickness  which  kept  him  in  bed  for  a 
week  or  more;  again  his  regiment  was  ordered  to  ad 
vance,  and  the  third  time  it  was  sent  on  with  others  to 
repel  the  invaders  from  Pennsylvanian  soil.  Bravely 
through  each  disappointment  Helen  bore  herself,  but  her 
cheek  always  grew  paler  and  her  eye  darker  in  its  hue 
when  the  evening  papers  came,  and  she  read  what  prog 
ress  our  soldiery  had  made,  feeling  that  a  battle  was  in 
evitable,  and  praying  so  earnestly  that  Mark  Ray  might 
be  spared.  Then,  when  the  battle  was  over  and  up  the 
northern  hills  came  the  dreadful  story  of  thousands  and 
thousands  slain,  there  was  a  fearful  look  in  her  eye,  and 
her  features  were  rigid  as  marble,  while  the  quivering 
lips  could  scarcely  pray  for  the  great  fear  tugging  at  her 
heart.  Mark  Eav  was  not  with  his  men  when  they  came 
from  that  terrific  onslaught.  A  dozen  had  seen  him 
fall,  struck  down  by  a  rebel  ball,  and  that  was  all  she 
heard  for  more  than  a  week,  when  there  came  another 
relay  of  news. 

Captain  Mark  Ray  was  a  prisoner  of  war,  with  several 
of  his  own  company.  An  inmate  of  Libby  Prison  and  a 
sharer  from  choice  of  the  apartment  where  his  men  were 
confined.  As  an  officer  he  was  entitled  to  better  quarters ; 
but  Mark  Ray  had  a  large,  warm  heart,  and  he  would 
not  desert  those  who  had  been  so  faithful  to  him,  and  so 
he  took  their  fare,  and  by  his  genial  humor  and  unwaver 
ing  cheerfulness  kept  many  a  heart  from  fainting,  and 
made  the  prison  life  more  bearable  than  it  could  have 
been  without  him.  To  young  Tom  Tnbbs,  who  had  en 
listed  six  months  before,  he  was  a  ministering  angel,  and 
many  times  the  poor  homesick  boy  crept  to  the  side  of  his 
captain,  and  laying  his  burning  head  in  his  lap,  wept 
himself  to  sleep  and  dreamed  he  was  at  home  again.  The 
horrors  of  that  prison  life  have  never  been  told,  but  Mark 


370  The  Cameron  Pride. 

bore  up  manfully,  suffering  less  in  mind,  perhaps,  than 
did  the  friends  at  home,  who  lived,  as  it  were,  a  thousand 
years  in  that  one  brief  summer  while  he  remained  in 
Bichmond. 

At  last,  as  the  frosty  days  of  October  came  on,  they 
began  to  hope  he  might  be  exchanged,  and  Helen's  face 
grew  bright  again,  until  one  day  there  came  a  soiled, 
half-worn  letter,  in  Mark's  own  hand-writing.  It  was 
the  first  word  received  from  him  since  his  capture  in  July, 
and  with  a  cry  of  joy  Helen  snatched  it  from  Uncle  Eph- 
raim,  for  she  was  still  at  the  farm-house,  and  sitting  down 
upon  the  dooistep  just  where  she  had  been  standing,  read 
the  words  which  Mark  had  sent  to  her.  He  was  very  well, 
he  said,  and  had  been  all  the  time,  but  he  pined  for  home, 
longing  for  the  dear  girl-wife  never  so  dear  as  now,  when 
separated  by  so  many  miles,  with  prison  walls  on  every 
side,  and  an  enemy's  line  between  them. 

"  But  be  of  good  cheer,  darling,"  he  wrote,  "  I  shall 
come  back  to  you  some  time,  and  life  will  be  all  the 
brighter  for  what  you  suffer  now.  I  am  so  glad  my  darling 
consented  to  be  my  wife,  even  though  I  could  stay  with 
her  but  a  moment.  The  knowing  you  are  really  mine 
makes  me  happy  even  here,  for  I  think  of  you  by  day,  and 
in  my  dreams  I  always  hold  you  in  my  arms  and  press 
you  to  my  heart." 

A  hint  he  gave  of  being  sent  further  south,  and  then 
hope  died  out  of  Helen's  heart. 

u  I  shall  never  see  him  again,"  she  said  despairingly;  and 
when  the  message  came  that  Mark  had  been  removed, 
and  that  too  just  at  the  time  when  an  exchange  was  con 
stantly  expected,  she  gave  him  up  as  lost,  feeling  almost  as 
much  widowed  as  Katy  in  her  weeds. 

Slowly  the  winter  passed  away,  and  the  country  was 
rife  with  stories  of  our  men,  daily  dying  by  hundreds, 
while  those  who  survived  were  reduced  to  maniacs  or 
imbeciles.  And  Helen,  as  she  listened,  grew  nearly  frantic 
with  the  sickening  suspense.  She  did  not  know  now  where 
her  husband  was.  He  had  made  several  attempts  to  es 
cape,  and  with  each  failure  had  been  removed  to  safer 
quarters,  so  that  his  chances  for  being  exchanged  seemed 
very  far  away.  Week  after  week,  month  after  month 


The  Cameron  Pride.  371 

passed  on,  until  came  the  memorable  battle  of  the  Wil 
derness,  when  Lieutenant  Bob,  as  yet  unharmed,  stood 
bravely  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  his  tall  figure  tower 
ing  above  the  rest,  and  his  soldier's  uniform  buttoned 
over  a  dark  tress  of  hair,  and  a  face  like  Bell  Cameron's. 
Lieutenant  Bob  had  taken  two  or  three  furloughs;  but  the 
one  which  had  left  the  sweetest,  pleasantest  memory  in 
his  heart,  was  that  of  the  autumn  before,  when  the  crimson 
leaves  of  the  maple,  and  the  golden  tints  of  the  beech, 
were  burning  themselves  out  on  the  hills  of  Silverton, 
where  his  furlough  was  mostly  passed,  and  where  with 
Bell  Cameron  he  scoured  the  length  and  breadth  of  Uncle 
Ephraim's  farm,  now  stopping  by  the  shore  of  Fairy  Point 
and  again  sitting  for  hours  on  a  ledge  of  rocks,  far  up 
the  hill,  where  beneath  the  softly  whispering  pines,  nod 
ding  above  their  heads,  Bell  gathered  the  light-brown 
cones,  and  said  to  him  the  words  he  had  so  thirsted  to 
hear. 

Much  of  Bell's  time  was  passed  with  Katy,  at  the  farm 
house,  and  here  Lieutenant  Eeynolds  found  her,  accepting 
readily  of  Uncle  Ephraim's  hearty  invitation  to  remain, 
and  spending  his  entire  vacation  there  with  the  exception 
of  three  days,  given  to  his  family.  Perfectly  charmed  with 
quaint  Aunt  Betsy,  he  flattered  and  courted  her  almost  as 
much  as  he  did  Bell,  but  did  not  take  her  with  him  in  his 
long  rambles  over  the  hills,  or  sit  with  her  at  night  alone 
in  the  parlor  until  the  clock  struck  twelve — a  habit  which 
Aunt  Betsy  greatly  disapproved,  but  overlooked  for  this 
once,  seeing,  as  she  said,  that 

"  The  young  leftenant  was  none  of  her  Tcinf  and  Isabel 
only  a  little." 

Those  were  halcyon  days  which  Robert  passed  at  Sil- 
verton ;  but  one  stood  out  prominently  before  him,  whether 
sitting  before  his  camp-fire  or  plunging  into  the  battle; 
and  that  the  one  when,  casting  aside  all  pride  and  foolish 
theories,  Bell  Cameron  freely  acknowledged  her  love  for 
the  man  to  whom  she  had  been  so  long  engaged,  and  paid 
him  back  the  kisses  she  had  before  refused  to  give. 

"  I  shall  be  a  better  soldier  for  this/'  Herbert  had  said, 
as  he  guided  her  down  the  steep  ledge  of  rocks,  and  with 
her  hand  in  his,  walked  slowly  back  to  the  farm-house, 


372  The  Cameron  Pride. 

which,  on  the  morrow,  he  left  to  take  again  his  place  in 
the  army. 

There  were  no  more  furloughs  for  him  after  that;  and 
the  winter  passed  away,  bringing  the  spring  again,  when 
came  that  battle  in  the  Wilderness,  where,  like  a  hero,  he 
fought  until,  becoming  separated  from  his  comrades,  he 
fell  into  the  enemy's  hands;  and  two  days  after,  there 
sped  along  the  telegraphic  wires  to  New  York, 

"Lieutenant  Eobert  Reynolds,  captured  the  first  day 
•f  the  battle/' 

Afterwards  came  news  that  Andersonville  was  his  des 
tination,  together  with  many  others  made  prisoners  that 
day. 

"  It  is  better  than  being  shot,  and  a  great  deal  better 
than  being  burned,  as  some  of  the  poor  wretches  were," 
Juno  said,  trying  to  comfort  Bell,  who  doubted  a  little 
her  sister's  word. 

True  there  was  now  the  shadow  of  a  hope  that  he 
might  return;  but  the  probabilities  were  against  it;  and 
Bell's  face  grew  almost  as  white  as  Helen's,  while  her  eyes 
acquired  that  restless,  watchful,  anxious  look  which  has 
crept  into  the  eyes  of  so  many  sorrowing  women,  looking 
away  to  the  southward,  where  the  dear  ones  were  dying. 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

DOCTOR  GRANT. 

MORRIS  had  served  out  his  time  as  surgeon  in  the  army., 
had  added  to  it  an  extra  six  months ;  and  by  his  humanity, 
his  skill,  and  Christian  kindness,  made  for  himself  a  name 
which  would  be  long  remembered  by  the  living  to  whom 
he  had  ministered  so  carefully;  while  many  a  dying 
soldier  had  blessed  him  for  pointing  out  the  way  which 
leadeth  to  the  life  everlasting;  and  in  many  a  mourning 
family  his  name  was  a  household  word,  for  the  good  he  had 
done  to  a  dying  son  and  brother.  But  Morris's  hospital 
work  was  over.  He  had  gone  a  little  too  far,  and  incurred 


The  Cameron  Pride.  373 

too  much  risk,  until  his  own  strength  had  failed;  and 
now,  in  the  month  of  June,  when  Linwood  was  bright 
with  the  early  summer  blossoms,  he  was  coming  back  with 
health  greatly  impaired,  and  a  dark  cloud  before  his 
vision,  so  that  he  could  not  see  how  beautiful  his  home 
was  looking,  or  gaze  into  the  faces  of  those  who  waited  so 
anxiously  to  welcome  their  beloved  physician.  Blind 
some  said  he  was;  but  the  few  lines  sent  to  Helen,  an 
nouncing  the  day  of  his  arrival,  contradicted  that  report. 
His  eyes  were  very  much  diseased,  his  amanuensis  wrote; 
but  he  trusted  that  the  pure  air  of  his  native  hills,  and 
the  influence  of  old  scenes  and  associations  would  soon 
effect  a  cure.  "  If  not  too  much  trouble,"  he  added, 
"  please  see  that  the  house  is  made  comfortable,  and  have 
John  meet  me  on  Friday  at  the  station." 

Helen  was  glad  Morris  was  coming  home,  for  he  al 
ways  did  her  good;  he  could  comfort  her  better  than  any 
one  else,  unless  it  were  Katy,  whose  loving,  gentle  words 
of  hope  were  very  soothing  to  her. 

"  Poor  Morris !  "  she  sighed,  as  she  finished  his  letter, 
and  then  took  it  to  the  family,  who  were  sitting  upon  the 
pleasant  piazza,  which,  at  Katy'"s  expense  and  her  own, 
had  been  added  to  the  house,  and  overlooked  Fairy  Pond 
and  the  pleasant  hills  beyond. 

"  Morris  is  coming  home,"  she  said.  "  He  will  be  hore 
on  Friday,  and  he  wishes  us  to  see  that  all  things  are  in 
order  at  Linwood  for  his  reception.  His  eyes  are  badly 
diseased,  but  he  hopes  that  coming  back  to  us  will  cure 
him,"  she  added,  glancing  at  Katy,  who  sat  upon  a  step 
of  the  piazza,  her  hands  folded  together  upon  her  lap,  and 
her  blue  eyes  looking  far  off  into  the  fading  sunset. 

When  she  heard  Morris's  name,  she  turned  her  head  a 
little,  so  that  the  ripple  of  her  golden  hair  was  more 
distinctly  visible  beneath  the  silken  net  she  wore;  but  she 
made  no  comment  nor  showed  by  any  sign  that  she  heard 
what  they  were  saying.  Katy  was  very  lovely  and  con 
sistent  in  her  young  widowhood,  and  not  a  whisper  of 
gossip  had  the  Silvertonians  coupled  with  her  name  since 
she  came  to  them,  leaving  her  husband  in  Greenwood. 
There  had  been  no  parading  of  her  grief  before  the  public, 
or  assumption  of  greater  sorrow  than  many  others  had 


374  The  Cameron  Pride. 

known;  but  the  soberness  of  her  demeanor,  and  the  calm, 
subdued  expression  of  her  face,  attested  to  what  she  had 
suffered.  Sixteen  months  had  passed  since  Wilford  died, 
and  she  still  wore  her  deep  mourning  weeds,  except  the 
widow's  cap,  which,  at  her  mother's  and  Aunt  Betsy's 
earnest  solicitations,  she  had  laid  aside,  substituting  in 
its  place  a  simple  net,  which  confined  her  waving  hair 
and  kept  it  from  breaking  out  in  flowing  curls,  as  it  was 
disposed  to  do. 

Katy  had  never  been  prettier  than  she  was  now,  in  her 
mature  womanhood,  and  to  the  poor  and  sorrowful  whose 
homes  she  cheered  so  often  she  was  an  angel  of  good 
ness. 

Truly  she  had  been  purified  by  suffering;  the  dross 
had  been  burned  out,  and  only  the  gold  remained,  shed 
ding  its  brightness  on  all  with  which  it  came  in  contact. 

They  would  miss  her  at  the  farm-house  now  more  than 
they  did  when  she  first  went  away,  for  she  made  the  sun 
shine  of  their  home,  filling  Helen's  place  when  she  was 
in  New  York,  and  when  she  came  back  proving  to  her  a 
stay  and  comforter.  Indeed,  but  for  Katy's  presence 
Helen  often  felt  that  she  could  not  endure  the  sickening 
suspense  and  doubt  which  hung  so  darkly  over  her  hus 
band's  fate. 

"  He  is  alive ;  he  will  come  back,"  Katy  always  said, 
and  from  her  perfect  faith  Helen,  too,  teaught  a  glimpse 
of  hope. 

Could  they  have  forgotten  Mark  they  would  have  been 
very  happy  at  the  farm-house  now,  for  with  the  budding 
spring  and  blossoming  summer  Katy's  spirits  had  re 
turned,  and  her  old  musical  laugh  rang  through  the 
house  just  as  it  used  to  do  in  the  happy  days  of  girl 
hood,  while  the  same  silvery  voice  which  led  the  choir  in 
the  brick  church,  and  sang  with  the  little  children  their 
Sunday  hymns,  often  broke  forth  into  snatches  of  songs, 
which  made  even  the  robins  listen,  as  they  built  their 
nests  in  the  trees. 

If  Katy  thought  of  Morris,  she  never  spoke  of  him 
when  she  could  help  it.  It  was  a  morbid  fancy  to  which 
she  clung,  that  duty  to  Wil ford's  memory  required  her 
to  avoid  the  man  who  had  so  innocently  come  between 


The  Cameron  Pride.  375 

them;  and  when  she  heard  he  was  coming  home  she  felt 
more  pain  than  pleasure,  though  for  an  instant  the  blood 
throbbed  through  her  veins  as  she  thought  of  Morris  at 
Linwood,  just  as  he  used  to  be. 

The  day  of  his  return  was  balmy  and  beautiful,  and  at 
an  early  hour  Helen  went  over  to  Linwood  to  see  that 
everything  was  in  order  for  his  arrival,  while  Katy  fol 
lowed  at  a  later  hour,  wondering  if  Wilford  would  object 
if  he  knew  she  was  going  to  welcome  Morris,  who  might, 
misconstrue  her  motives  if  she  stayed  away. 

There  was  very  little  for  her  to  do,  Helen  and  Mrs. 
Hull  having  done  all  that  was  necessary,  but  she  went 
from  room  to  room,  lingering  longest  in  Morris's  own 
apartment,  where  she  made  some  alterations  in  the  ar 
rangement  of  the  furniture,  putting  one  chair  a  little 
more  to  the  right,  and  pushing  a  stand  or  table  to  the 
left,  just  as  her  artistic  eye  dictated.  By  some  oversight 
no  flowers  had  been  put  in  there,  but  Katy  gathered  a 
bouquet  and  left  it  on  the  mantel,  just  where  she  remem 
bered  to  have  seen  flowers  when  Morris  was  at  home. 

"  He  will  be  tired,"  she  said.  "  He  will  lie  down  after 
dinner,"  and  she  laid  a  few  sweet  English  violets  upon 
his  pillow,  thinking  their  perfume  might  be  grateful  to 
him  after  the  pent-up  air  of  the  hospital  and  cars.  "  He 
will  think  Helen  put  them  there,  or  Mrs.  Hull,"  she 
thought,  as  she  stole  softly  out  and  shut  the  door  behind 
her,  glancing  next  at  the  clock,  and  feeling  a  little  im 
patient  that  a  whole  hour  must  elapse  before  they  could 
expect  him. 

Poor  Morris !  he  did  not  dream  how  anxiously  he  was 
waited  for  at  home,  nor  of  the  crowd  assembled  at  the 
depot  to  welcome  back  the  loved  physician,  whose  name 
they  had  so  often  heard  coupled  with  praise  as  a  true 
hero,  even  though  his  post  was  not  in  the  front  of  the 
battle.  Thousands  had  been  cared  for  by  him,  their  gap 
ing  wounds  dressed  skillfully,  their  aching  heads  soothed 
tenderly,  and  their  last  moments  made  happier  by  the 
words  he  spoke  to  them  of  the  world  to  which  they  were 
going,  where  there  is  no  more  war  or  shedding  of  man's 
blood.  In  the  churchyard  at  Silverton  there  were  three 
soldiers'  graves,  whose  pale  occupants  had  died  with  Dr. 


376  The  Cameron  Pride. 

Grant's  hand  held  tightly  in  theirs,  as  if  afraid  that  he 
would  leave  them  before  the  dark  river  was  crossed,  while 
in  more  than  one  Silverton  home  there  was  a  wasted 
soldier,  who  never  tired  of  telling  Dr.  Morris's  praise 
and  dwelling  on  his  goodness.  But  Dr.  Morris  was  not 
thinking  of  this  as,  faint  and  sick,  with  the  green  shade 
before  his  eyes,  he  leaned  against  the  pile  of  shawls  his 
companion  had  placed  for  his  back,  and  wondered  if  they 
were  almost  there. 

"  I  smell  the  pond  lilies ;  we  must  be  near  Silverton/' 
he  said,  and  a  sigh  escaped  him  as  he  thought  of  coming 
home  and  not  being  able  to  see  it  or  the  woods  and  fields 
around  it.  "Thy  will  be  done,"  he  had  said  many  times 
since  the  fear  first  crept  into  his  heart  that  for  him  the 
light  had  faded. 

But  now,  when  home  was  almost  reached,  and  he  be 
gan  to  breathe  the  air  from  the  New  England  hills  arid 
the  perfume  of  the  New  England  lilies,  the  flesh  rebelled 
again,  and  he  cried  out  within  himself,  "  Oh,  I  cannot 
be  blind !  God  will  not  deal  thus  by  ine !  "  while  keen  as 
the  cut  of  a  sharpened  knife  was  the  pang  with  which  he 
thought  of  Katy,  and  wondered  would  she  care  if  he  were 
blind. 

Just  then  the  long  train  stopped  at  Silverton,  and,  led 
by  his  attendant,  he  stepped  feebly  into  the  crowd,  which 
sent  up  deafening  cheers  for  Dr.  Grant  come  home  again. 
At  the  sight  of  his  helplessness,  however,1  a  feeling  of  awe 
fell  upon  them,  and  whispering  to  each  other,  "  I  did  not 
suppose  he  was  so  bad,"  they  pressed  around  him,  offering 
their  hands  and  inquiring  anxiously  how  he  was. 

"  I  have  been  sick,  but  I  shall  get  better  now.  The 
very  sound  of  your  friendly  voices  does  me  good,"  he 
said,  as  he  went  slowly  to  his  carriage,  led  by  Uncle 
Ephraim,  who  could  not  keep  back  his  tears  when  he 
saw  how  weak  Morris  was,  and  how  he  panted  for  breath 
as  he  leaned  back  among  the  cushions. 

It  was  very  pleasant  that  afternoon,  and  Morris  enjoyed 
the  drive  so  much,  assuring  Uncle  Ephraim,  that  he  was 
growing  better  every  moment.  He  did  seem  stronger 
when  the  carriage  stopped  at  Linwood,  and  he  went  up  the 


The  Cameron  Pride.  377 

steps  where  Helen,  Katy,  and  Mrs.  Hull  were  waiting 
for  him.  He  could  not  by  sight  distinguish  one  from  the 
other,  but  without  the  aid  of  her  voice  he  would  have 
known  when  Katy's  hand  was  put  in  his,  it  was  so  small, 
so  soft,  and  trembled  so  as  he  held  it.  She  forgot  Wil- 
ford  in  her  excitement.  Pity  was  the  strongest  feeling  of 
which  she  was  conscious,  and  it  manifested  itself  in  vari 
ous  ways. 

"  Let  me  lead  you,  Cousin  Morris,"  she  said,  as  she  saw 
him  groping  his  way  to  his  room,  and  without  waiting  for 
his  reply,  she  held  his  hand  again  in  hers  and  led  him 
to  his  room,  where  the  English  violets  were. 

" I  used  to  lead  you''  Morris  said,  as  he  took  his  seat  by 
the  window,  "  and  I  little  thought  then  that  you  would 
one  day  return  the  compliment.  It  is  very  hard  to  be 
blind."' 

The  tone  of  his  voice  was  inexpressibly  sad,  but  his 
smile  was  as  cheerful  as  ever  as  his  face  turned  towards 
Katy,  who  could  not  answer  for  her  tears.  It  seemed  so 
terrible  to  see  a  strong  man  so  stricken,  and  that  strong 
man  Morris — terrible  to  watch  him  in  his  helplessness, 
trying  to  appear  as  of  old,  so  as  to  cast  on  others  no  part 
of  the  shadow  resting  so  darkly  on  himself.  When  dinner 
was  over  and  the  sun  began  to  decline,  many  of  his  former 
friends  came  in;  but  he  looked  so  pale  and  weary  that 
they  did  not  tarry  long,  and  when  the  last  one  was  gone, 
Morris  was  led  back  to  his  room,  which  he  did  not  leave 
again  until  the  summer  was  over,  and  the  luscious  fruits 
of  September  were  ripening  upon  the  trees. 

Towards  the  middle  of  July,  Helen,  whose  health  was 
suffering  from  her  anxiety  concerning  Mark,  was  taken 
by  Mrs.  Banker  to  Nahant,  where  Mark's  sister,  Mrs. 
Ernst,  was  spending  the  summer,  and  thus  on  Katy  fell 
the  duty  of  paying  to  Morris  those  acts  of  sisterly  atten 
tion  such  as  no  other  member  of  the  family  knew  how  to 
pay.  In  the  room  where  he  lay  so  helpless  Katy  was  not 
afraid  of  him,  nor  did  she  deem  herself  faithless  to  Wil- 
ford's  memory,  because  each  day  found  her  at  Linwood, 
sometimes  bathing  Morris's  inflamed  eyes,  sometimes 
bringing  him  the  cooling  drink,  and  again  reading  to  him 


378  The  Cameron  Pride. 

by  the  hour,  until,  soothed  by  the  music  of  her  voice,  he 
would  fall  away  to  sleep  and  dream  he  heard  the  angels 
sing. 

:'  My  eyes  are  getting  better,"  he  said  to  her  one  day  to 
ward  the  latter  part  of  August,  when  she  came  as  usual  to 
his  room.  "I  knew  last  night  that  Mrs.  HulPs  dress  was 
blue,  and  I  saw  the  sun  shine  through  the  shutters.  Very 
soon,  I  hope  to  see  you,  Katy,  and  know  if  you  have 
changed." 

She  was  standing  close  by  him,  and  as  he  talked  he 
raised  his  hand  to  rest  it  on  her  head,  but,  with  a  sudden 
movement,  Katy  eluded  the  touch,  and  stepped  a  little 
further  from  him. 

When  next  she  went  to  Linwood  there  was  in  her  man 
ner  a  shade  of  dignity,  which  both  amused  and  interested 
Morris.  He  did  not  know  for  certain  that  Wilford  had 
told  Katy  of  the  confession  made  that  memorable  night 
when  her  recovery  seemed  so  doubtful,  but  he  more  than 
half  suspected  it  from  the  shyness  of  her  manner,  and 
from  the  various  excuses  she  began  to  make  for  not  com 
ing  to  Linwood  as  often  as  she  had  heretofore  done. 

In  his  great  pity  for  Katy  when  she  was  first  a  widow, 
Morris  had  scarcely  remembered  that  she  was  free,  or  if 
it  did  flash  upon  his  mind,  he  thrust  the  thought  aside 
as  injustice  to  the  dead;  but  as  the  months  and  the  year 
went  by,  and  he  heard  constantly  from  Helen  of  Katy's 
increasing  cheerfulness,  it  was  not  in  hi§  nature  never  to 
think  of  what  might  be,  and  more  than  once  he  had  prayed, 
that  if  consistent  with  his  Father's  will,  the  woman  he 
had  loved  so  well,  should  yet  be  his.  If  not,  he  could  go 
his  way  alone,  just  as  he  had  always  done,  knowing  that 
it  was  right. 

Such  was  the  state  of  Morris's  mind  when  he  returned 
from  Washington,  but  now  it  was  somewhat  different. 
The  weary  weeks  of  sickness,  during  which  Katy  had 
ministered  to  him  so  kindly,  had  not  been  without  their 
effect,  and  if  Morris  had  loved  the  frolicsome,  child-like 
Katy  Lennox,  he  loved  far  more  the  gentle,  beautiful  wo 
man,  whose  character  had  been  so  wonderfully  developed 
by  suffering,  and  who  was  more  worthy  of  his  love  than 
in  her  early  girlhood. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  379 

"  I  cannot  lose  her  now,"  was  the  thought  constantly 
in  Morris's  mind,  as  he  experienced  more  and  more  how 
desolate  were  the  days  which  did  not  bring  her  to  him. 
"  It  is  twenty  months  since  Wilford  died/'  he  said  to  him 
self  one  wet  October  afternoon,  when  he  sat  listening 
dreamily  to  the  patter  of  the  rain  falling  upon  the  win 
dows,  and  looking  occasionally  across  the  fields  to  the 
farm-house,  in  the  hope  of  spying  in  the  distance  the 
little  airy  form,  which,  in  its  water-proof  and  cloud,  had 
braved  worse  storms  than  this  at  the  time  he  was  so  ill. 
But  no  such  figure  appeared.  He  hardly  expected  it 
would;  but  he  watched  the  pathway  just  the  same,  and 
the  smoke-wreaths  rising  so  high  above  the  farm-house. 
The  deacon  burned  out  his  chimney  that  day,  and  Morris, 
whose  sight  had  greatly  improved  of  late,  knew  it  by  the 
dense,  black  volume  of  smoke,  mingled  with  rings  of  fire, 
which  rose  above  the  roof,  remembering  so  well  another 
rainy  day,  twenty  years  ago,  when  the  deacon's  chimney 
was  cleaned,  and  a  little  toddling  girl,  in  scarlet  gown 
and  white  pinafore,  had  amused  herself  with  throwing 
into  the  blazing  fire  upon  the  hearth  a  straw  at  a  time, 
almost  upsetting  herself  with  standing  so  far  back,  and 
making  such  efforts  to  reach  the  flames.  A  great  deal  had 
passed  since  then.  The  little  girl  in  the  pinafore  had 
been  both  wife  and  mother.  She  was  a  widow  now,  and 
Morris  glanced  across  his  hearth  toward  the  empty  chair 
he  had  never  seen  in  imagination  filled  by  any  but  her 
self. 

"  Surely,  she  would  some  day  be  his  own,"  and  leaning 
his  head  upon  the  cane  he  carried,  he  prayed  earnestly  for 
the  good  he  coveted,  keeping  his  head  down  so  long  that, 
until  it  had  left  the  strip  of  woods  and  emerged  in!:o  the 
open  fields,  he  did  not  see  the  figure  wrapped  in  water 
proof  and  hood,  with  a  huge  umbrella  over  its  head  and 
a  basket  upon  its  arm,  which  came  picking  its  way 
daintily  toward  the  house,  stopping  occasionally,  and  lift 
ing  up  the  little  high-heeled  Balmoral,  which  the  mud  was 
ruining  so  completely.  Katy  was  coming  to  Linwood.  It 
had  been  baking-day  at  the  farm-house,  and  remembering 
how  much  Morris  used  to  love  her  custards,  Aunt  Betsy 


380  The  Cameron  Pride. 

had  prepared  him  some,  and  asked  Katy  to  take  them 
over,  so  he  could  have  them  for  tea. 

"  The  rain  won't  hurt  you  an  atom/3'  she  said  as  Katy 
began  to  demur,  and  glance  at  the  lowering  sky.  "  You 
can  wear  your  waterproof  boots  and  my  shaker,  if  you 
like,  and  I  do  so  want  Morris  to  have  them  to-night." 

Thus  importuned,  Katy  consented  to  go,  but  declined 
the  loan  of  Aunt  Betsy's  shaker,  which  being  large  of  the 
kind,  and  capeless,  too,  was  not  the  most  becoming  head 
gear  a  woman  could  wear.  With  the  basket  of  custards, 
and  cup  of  jelly,  Katv  finally  started.  Aunt  Betsy  saying 
to  her,  as  she  stopped  to  take  up  her  dress,  "  It  must  be 
dretful  lonesome  for  Morris  to-day.  S'posin'  you  stay 
to  supper  with  him,  and  when  it's  growin'  dark  I'll  come 
over  for  vou.  You'll  find  the  custards  fust  rate."' 

Katy  made  no  reply,  and  walked  away,  while  Aunt 
Betsy  went  back  to  the  coat  she  was  patching  for  her 
brother,  saying  to  herself, 

"  I'm  bound  to  fetch  that  round.  It's  a  shame  for  two 
young  folks,  just  fitted  to  each  other,  to  live  apart  when 
they  might  be  so  happy,  with  Hannah,  and  Lucy,  and  me, 
close  by,  to  see  to  'em,  and  allus  make  their  soap,  and 
see  to  the  butcherin',  besides  savin'  peneryle  and  catnip 
for  the  children,  if  there  was  any." 

Aunt  B^tsv  had  turned  match-maker  in  her  old  age, 
and  day  and  night  she  planned  how  to  bring  about  the 
match  between  Morris  and  Katy.  That  they  were  made 
for  each  other,  she  had  no  doubt.  From  something  which 
Helen  inadvertently  let  fall,  she  had  guessed  that  Morris 
loved  Katy  prior  to  her  marriage  with  Wilford.  She 
had  suspected  as  much  before;  she  was  sure  of  it  now, 
and  straightway  put  her  wits  to  work  "to  make  it  go," 
as  she  expressed  it.  But  Katv  was  too  shy  to  suit  her, 
and  since  Morris's  convalescence,  had  stayed  too  much  from 
Linwood.  To-day,  however,  Aunt  Betsy  "  felt  it  in  her 
bones,"  that  if  properly  managed  something  would  hap 
pen,  and  the  custards  were  but  the  means  to  the  desired 
end.  With  no  suspicion  whatever  of  the  good  dame's  in 
tentions,  Katy  picked  her  wav  to  Linwood,  and  leaving 
her  damp  garments  in  the  hall,  wont  at  once  into  the 
library,  where  Morris  was  sitting  near  to  a  large  chair 


The  Cameron  Pride.  381 

kept  sacred  for  her,  his  face  looking  unusually  cheerful, 
and  the  room  unusually  pleasant,  with  the  bright  wood 
fire  on  the  heart1 1. 

"  I  have  been  so  lonely,  with  no  company  but  the  rain," 
he  said,  pushing  the  chair  a  little  towards  her,  and  bid 
ding  her  sit  near  the  fire,  where  she  could  dry  her  feet. 

Katy  obeyed,  and  sat  down  so  near  to  him  that  had  he 
chosen  he  might  have  touched  the  golden  hair,  fastened 
in  heavy  coils  low  on  her  neck,  and  giving  to  her  a  very 
g::lish  appearance,  as  Morris  thought,  for  he  could  see 
her  now,  and  while  she  dried  her  feet  he  looked  at  her 
eagerly,  wondering  that  the  fierce  storm  she  had  encoun 
tered  had  loft  so  few  traces  upon  her  face.  Just  about 
the  mouth  there  was  a  deep  cut  line,  but  this  was  all ;  the 
remainder  of  the  face  was  fair  and  smooth  as  in  her  early 
girlhood,  and  far  more  beautiful,  just  as  her  character 
was  lovelier,  and  more  to  be  admired. 

Morris  had  done  well  to  wait  if  he  could  win  her  now. 
Perhaps  he  thought  so,  too,  and  this  was  why  his  spirits 
became  so  gay  as  he  kept  talking  to  her,  suggesting  at 
last  that  she  should  stay  to  tea.  The  rain  was  falling  in 
torrents  when  he  made  the  proposition.  She  could  not 
go  then,  even  had  she  wished  it.  and  though  it  was  earlier 
than  his  usual  time,  Morris  at  once  rang  for  Mrs.  Hull, 
and  ordered  that  tea  be  served  as  soon  as  possible. 

ee  I  ought  not  to  stay.  It  is  not  proper,"  Katy  kept 
thinking,  as  she  fidgeted  in  her  chair,  and  watched  the 
girl  setting  the  table  for  two,  and  occasionally  deferring 
some  debatable  point  to  her  as  if  she  were  mistress  there. 

"  You  can  go  now,  Keekie,"  Morris  said,  when  the  boil 
ing  water  was  poured  into  the  silver  kettle,  and  tea  was 
on  the  table.  "  If  we  need  you  we  will  ring." 

With  a  vague  wonder  as  to  who  would  toast  the  doc 
tor's  bread,  and  butter  it,  Eeekie  departed,  and  the  two 
were  left  together.  It  was  Katy  who  toasted  the  bread, 
kneeling  upon  the  hearth,  burning  her  face  and  scorching 
the  bread  in  her  nervousness  at  the  novel  position  in  which 
she  so  unexpectedly  found  herself.  It  was  Katy,  too,  who 
prepared  Morris's  tea,  and  tried  to  eat,  but  could  not.  She 
was  not  hungry,  she  said,  and  the  custard  was  the  only 
thing  she  tasted,  besides  the  tea,  which  she  sipped  at 


382  The  Cameron  Pride. 

frequent  intervals  so  as  to  make  Morris  think  she  was  eat 
ing  more  than  she  was.  But  Morris  was  not  deceived,  nor 
disheartened.  Possibly  she  suspected  his  intention,  and  if 
so,  the  sooner  he  reached  the  point  the  better.  So  when 
the  tea  equipage  was  put  away,  and  she  began  again  to 
speak  of  going  home,  he  said, 

"  No,  Katy,  you  can't  go  yet,  till  I  have  said  what's  in 
my  mind  to  say,"  and  laying  his  hand  upon  her  shoulder 
he  made  her  sit  down  beside  him  and  listen  while  he.  told 
her  of  the  love  he  had  borne  for  her  long  before  she  knew 
the  meaning  of  that  word  as  she  knew  it  now — of  the 
struggle  to  keep  that  love  in  bounds  after  its  indulgence 
was  a  sin;  of  his  temptations  and  victories,  of  his  sincere 
regret  for  Wilford,  and  of  his  deep  respect  for  her  grief, 
which  made  her  for  a  time  as  a  sister  to  him.  But  that 
time  had  passed.  She  was  not  his  sister  now,  nor  ever 
could  be  again.  She  was  Katy,  dearer,  more  precious, 
more  desired  even  than  before  another  called  her  wife, 
and  he  asked  her  to  be  his,  to  come  up  there  to  Linwood 
and  live  with  him,  making  the  rainy  days  brighter, 
balmier,  than  the  sunniest  had  ever  been,  and  helping  him 
in  his  work  of  caring  for  the  poor  and  sick  around  them. 

"Will  Katy  come?  Will  she  be  the  wife  of  Cousin 
Morris  ?" 

There  was  a  world  of  pathos  and  pleading  in  the  voice 
which  asked  this  question,  just  as  there  was  a  world  of 
tenderness  in  the  manner  with  which  *Morris  caressed  and 
fondled  the  bowed  head  resting  on  the  chair  arm.  And 
Katy  felt  it  all,  understanding  what  it  was  to  be  offered 
such  a  love  as  Morris  offered,  but  only  comprehending  in 
part  what  it  would  be  to  refuse  that  love.  For  her  blinded 
judgment  said  she  must  refuse  it.  Had  there  been  no  sad 
memories  springing  from  that  grave  in  Greenwood,  no 
bitter  reminiscences  connected  with  her  married  life — 
had  Wilford  never  heard  of  Morris's  love  and  taunted  her 
with  it,  she  might  perhaps  consent,  for  she  craved  the 
rest  there  would  be  with  Morris  to  lean  upon.  But  the 
happiness  was  too  great  for  her  to  accept.  It  would  seem 
too  much  like  faithlessness  to  Wilford,  too  much  as  if  he 
had  been  right,  when  he  charged  her  with  preferring 
Morris  to  himself. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  383 

"  It  cannot  be ; — oh,  Morris,  it  cannot  be,"  she  sobbed, 
when  he  pressed  her  for  an  answer.  "  Don't  ask  me  why 
— don't  ever  mention  it  again,  for  I  tell  you  it  cannot 
be.  My  answer  is  final;  it  cannot  be.  I  am  sorry  for 
you,  so  sorry!  I  wish  you  had  never  loved  me,  for  it 
cannot  be." 

She  writhed  herself  from  the  arms  which  tried  to  de 
tain  her,  and  rising  to  her  feet  left  the  room  suddenly, 
and  throwing  on  her  wrappings  quitted  the  house  wirti- 
out  another  word,  leaving  basket  and  umbrella  behind, 
and  never  knowing  she  had  left  them,  or  how  the  rain 
was  pouring  down  upon  her  unsheltered  person,  until,  as 
she  entered  the  narrow  strip  of  woodland,  she  was  met 
by  Aunt  Betsy,  who  exclaimed  at  seeing  her,  and  asked, 

"What  has  become  of  your  umberell?  Your  silk  one 
too.  It's  hopeful  you  haven't  lost  it.  What  has  happened 
you?"  and  coming  closer  to  Katy,  Aunt  Betsy  looked 
searchingly  in  her  face.  It  was  not  so  dark  that  she 
could  not  see  the  traces  of  recent  tears,  and  instinctively 
suspecting  their  nature  she  continued,  "  Catherine,  have 
you  gin  Morris  the  mitten  ?  " 

"Aunt  Betsy,  is  it  possible  that  you  and  Morris  con 
trived  this  plan?"  Katy  asked,  half  indignantly,  as  she 
began  in  part  to  understand  her  aunt's  great  anxiety  for 
her  to  visit  Linwood  that  afternoon. 

"  Morris  had  nothing  to  do  with  it,"  Aunt  Betsy  re 
plied.  "  It  was  my  doin's  wholly,  and  this  is  the  thanks 
I  git.  You  quarrel  with  him  and  git  mad  at  me,  who 
thought  only  of  your  good.  Catherwe,  you  know  you  like 
Morris  Grant,  and  if  he  asked  you  to  have  him  why 
don't  you?" 

"  I  can't,  Aunt  Betsy.  I  can't,  after  all  that  has  passed. 
It  would  be  unjust  to  Wilford." 

"  Unjust  to  Wilford — fiddlesticks !  "  was  Aunt  Betsy's 
expressive  reply,  as  she  started  on  toward  Linwood,  say 
ing,  "  she  was  going  after  the  umberell  before  it  got  lost, 
with  nobody  there  to  tend  to  things  as  they  should  be 
tended  to.  Have  you  any  word  to  send  ? "  she  asked, 
hoping  Katy  had  relented. 

But  Katy  had  not;  and  with  a  toss  of  her  head,  which 
shook  the  rain  drops  from  her  capeless  shaker,  Aunt  Betsy 


384  The  Cameron  Pride. 

went  on  her  way,  and  was  soon  confronting  Morris,  sitting 
just  where  Katy  had  left  him,  and  looking  very  pale  and 
sad. 

He  was  not  glad  to  see  Aunt  Betsy.  He  would  rather 
be  alone  until  such  time  as  he  could  control  himself  and 
still  his  throbbing  heart.  But  with  his  usual  affability, 
he  bade  Aunt  Betsy  sit  down,  shivering  a  little  when  he 
saw  her  in  the  chair  where  Katy  had  sat,  her  thin, 
angular  body  presenting  a  striking  contrast  to  the  grace 
ful,  girlish  figure  which  had  sat  there  an  hour  since,  and 
the  huge  india  rubbers  she  held  up  to  the  fire,  as  unlike 
as  posible  to  the  boot  of  fairy  dimensions  he  had  admired 
so  much  when  it  was  drying  on  the  hearth. 

"  I  met  Catherine/''  Aunt  Betsy  began,  "  and  mistrusted 
at  once  that  something  was  to  pay,  for  a  girl  don't  leave 
her  umberell  in  such  a  rain  and  go  cryin'  home  for 
nothin'." 

Morris  colored,  resenting  for  an  instant  this  interfer 
ence  by  a  third  party;  but  Aunt  Betsy  was  so  honest  and 
simple-hearted,  that  he  could  not  be  angry  long,  and  he 
listened  calmly,  while  she  continued, 

"  I  have  not  lived  sixty  odd  years  for  nothing,  and  I 
know  the  signs  pretty  well.  I've  been  through  the  mill 
myself/' 

Here  Aunt  Betsy's  voice  grew  lower  in  its  tone,  and 
Morris  looked  up  with  real  interest,  while  she  went  on, 

"  There's  Joel  Upham — you  know  lJoel — keeps  a  tin- 
shop  now,  and  seats  the  folks  in  meetin''.  He  asked  me 
once  for  my  company,  and  to  be  smart  I  told  him  no, 
when  all  the  time  I  meant  yes,  thi:,kin'  he  would  ask 
agin;  but  he  didn't,  and  the  next  I  knew  he  was  keepin' 
company  with  Patty  Adams,  now  his  wife.  I  remembered 
I  sniveled  a  little  at  being  taken  at  my  word,  but  it 
served  me  right,  for  saying  one  thing  when  I  meant 
another.  However,  it  don't  matter  now.  Joel  is  as  clever 
as  the  day  is  long,  but  he  is  a  shiftless  critter,  never  splits 
his  kindlins  till  jest  bedtime,  and  Patty  is  pestered  to 
death  for  wood,  while  his  snorin'  nights  she  says  is  awful, 
and  that  I  never  could  abide ;  so,  on  the  whole,  I'm  better 
off  than  Patty/' 


The  Cameron  Pride.  385 

Morris  laughed  a  loud,  hearty  laugh,  which  emboldened 
his  visitor  to  say  more  than  she  had  intended  saying. 

"  You  just  ask  her  agin.  Once  ain't  nothing  at  all, 
and  she'll  come  to.  She  likes  you ;  'taint  that  which  made 
her  say  no.  It's  some  foolish  idea  about  faithfulness  to 
Wilford,  as  if  he  deserved  that  she  should  be  faithful. 
They  never  orto  have  had  one  another, — never ;  and  now 
that  he  is  well  in  Heaven,  as  I  do  suppose  he  is,  it  ain't 
I  who  hanker  for  him  to  come  back.  Neither  does  Katy, 
and  all  she  needs  is  a  little  urging,  to  tell  you  yes.  So 
ask  her  again,  will  you  ?  " 

"  I  think  it  very  doubtful.  Katy  knew  what  she  was 
doing,  and  meant  what  she  said,"  Morris  replied;  and 
with  the  consoling  remark  that  if  young  folks  would  be 
fools  it  was  none  of  her  business  to  bother  with  them, 
Aunt  Betsy  pinned  her  shawl  across  her  chest,  and  hunt 
ing  up  both  basket  and  umbrella,  bade  Morris  good  night, 
and  went  back  across  the  fields  to  the  farm-house,  hearing 
from  Mrs.  Lennox  that  Katy  had  gone  to  bed  with  a  rack 
ing  headache. 


CHAPTEK  XLVIII. 

KATY. 

"  ARE  you  of  the  same  mind  still  ?  "  Helen  asked,  when 
three  weeks  later  she  returned  from  New  York,  and  at  the 
hour  for  retiring  sat  in  her  chamber  watching  Katy  as 
she  brushed  her  hair,  occasionally  curling  a  tress  around 
her  fingers  and  letting  it  fall  upon  her  snowy  night 
dress. 

They  had  been  talking  of  Morris,  whom  Katy  had  seen 
but  once  since  that  rainy  night,  and  that  at  church,  where 
he  had  been  the  previous  Sunday.  Katy  had  written  an 
account  of  the  transaction  to  her  sister,  who  had  chosen 
to  reply  by  word  of  mouth  rather  than  by  letter,  and  so 
the  first  moment  they  were  alone  she  seized  the  opportunity 
to  ask  if  Katy  was  of  the  same  mind  still  as  when  she 
refused  the  doctor. 


386  The  Cameron  Pride. 

"  Yes,  why  shouldn't  I  be?  "  Katy  replied.  "  You,  bet 
ter  than  any  one  else,  know  what  passed  between  Wil- 
ford » 

"  Do  you  love  Morris  ?  "  Helen  asked,  abruptly,  without 
waiting  for  Katy  to  finish  her  sentence. 

For  an  instant  the  hands  stopped  in  their  wcyk,  and 
Katy's  eyes  filled  with  tears,  which  dropped  into  her  lap 
as  she  replied, 

"  More  than  I  wish  I  did,  seeing  I  must  always  tell 
him  no.  It's  strange,  too,  how  the  love  for  him  keeps 
coming,  in  spite  of  all  I  can  do.  I  have  not  been  there 
since,  nor  spoken  with  him  until  last  Sunday,  but  I  knew 
the  moment  he  entered  the  church,  and  when  in  the  first 
chant  I  heard  his  voice,  my  fingers  trembled  so  that  I 
could  hardly  play,  while  all  the  time  my  heart  goes  out 
after  the  rest  I  always  find  with  him.  But  it  cannot  be. 
Oh,  Helen !  I  wish  Wilford  had  never  known  that  Morris 
loved  me." 

She  was  sobbing  now,  with  her  head  in  Helen's  lap, 
and  Helen,  smoothing  her  bright  hair,  said  gently, 

"  You  do  not  reason  correctly.  It  is  right  for  }rou  to 
answer  Morris  yes,  and  Wilford  would  say  so,  too.  When 
I  received  your  letter  I  read  it  to  Bell,  who  then  told  what 
Wilford  said  before  he  died.  You  must  have  forgotten 
it,  darling.  He  referred  to  a  time  when  you  would  cease 
to  be  his  widow,  and  he  said  he  was  willing, — said  so  to 
her,  and  you.  Do  you  remember  it,  Katy  ?  " 

"  I  do  now,  but  I  had  forgotten.  I  was  so  stunned  then, 
so  bewildered,  that  it  made  no  impression.  I  did  not  think 
he  meant  Morris,  Helen ;  do  you  believe  he  meant  Mor 
ris?"  and  lifting  up  her  face  Katy  looked  at  her  sister 
with  a  wistfulness  which  told  how  anxiously  she  waited 
for  the  answer. 

"  I  know  that  he  meant  Morris,"  Helen  replied.  "  Both 
Bell  and  her  father  think  so,  and  they  bade  me  tell  you 
to  marry  Dr.  Grant,  with  whom  you  will  be  so  happy/' 

"  I  cannot.  It  is  too  late.  I  told  him  no,  and  Helen, 
I  told  him  a  falsehood,  too,  which  I  wish  I  mi^ht  take 
back,"  she  added.  "  I  said  I  was  sorry  he  ever  loved  me, 
when  I  was  not,  for  the  knowing  that  he  had  made  me 
very  happy.  My  conscience  has  smitten  me  cruelly  for 


The  Cameron  Pride.  387 

that  falsehood,  told  not  intentionally,  for  I  did  not  con 
sider  what  I  said." 

Here  was  an  idea  at  which  Helen  caught  at  once,  and 
the  next  morning  she  went  to  Linwood  and  brought 
Morris  home  with  her.  He  had  been  there  two  or  three 
times  since  his  return  from  Washington,  but  not  since 
Katy's  refusal,  and  her  cheeks  were  scarlet  as  she  met 
him  in  the  parlor  and  tried  to  be  natural.  He  did  not 
look  unhappy.  He  was  not  taking  his  rejection  very  hard, 
after  all,  she  thought,  and  the  little  lady  felt  a  very  little 
piqued  to  find  him  so  cheerful,  when  she  had  scarcely 
known  a  moment's  quiet  since  the  day  she  carried  him  the 
custards  and  forgot  to  bring  away  her  umbrella. 

As  it  had  rained  that  day,  so  it  did  now,  a  decided, 
energetic  rain,  which  set  in  after  Morris  came,  and  pre 
cluded  the  possibility  of  his  going  home  that  night. 

"  He  would  catch  his  death  of  cold,"  Aunt  Betsy  said, 
while  Helen,  too,  joined  her  entreaties,  until  Morris  con 
sented,  and  the  carriage  which  came  round  for  him  at 
dark  returned  to  Linwood  with  the  message  that  the  doc 
tor  would  pass  the  night  at  Deacon  Barlow's. 

During  the  evening  he  did  not  often  address  Katy  di 
rectly,  but  he  knew  each  time  she  moved,  and  watched 
every  expression  of  her  face,  feeling  a  kind  of  pity  for 
her,  when,  without  appearing  to  do  so  intentionally,  the 
family,  one  by  one,  stole  from  the  room, — Uncle  Ephraim 
and  Aunt  Hannah  without  any  excuse ;  Aunt  Betsy  to  mix 
the  cakes  for  breakfast;  Mrs.  Lennox  to  wind  the  clock, 
and  Helen  to  find  a  book  for  which  Morris  had  asked. 

Katy  might  not  have  thought  strange  of  their  de 
parture,  were  it  not  that  neither  one  came  back  again,  and 
after  the  lapse  of  ten  minutes  or  more  she  felt  convinced 
that  she  had  purposely  been  left  alone  with  Morris. 

The  weather  and  the  family  had  conspired  against  her, 
but  after  one  throb  of  fear  she  resolved  to  brave  the  diffi 
culty,  and  meet  whatever  might  happen  as  became  a  wo 
man  of  twenty-three,  and  a  widow.  She  knew  Morris 
was  regarding  her  intently  as  she  fashioned  into  shape 
the  coarse  wool  sock,  intended  for  some  soldier,  and  she 
could  almost  hear  her  heart  beat  in  the  silence  which  fell 


388  The  Cameron  Pride. 

between  them  ere  Morris  said  to  her,  in  a  tone  which  re 
assured  her, 

"And  so  you  told  me  a  falsehood  the  other  day,  and 
your  conscience  has  troubled  you  ever  since  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Morris,  yes ;  that  is,  I  told  you  I  was  sorry  that 
you  ever  loved  me,  which  was  not  exactly  true,  for,  after 
I  knew  you  did,  I  was  happier  than  before."' 

Her  words  implied  a  knowledge  of  his  love  previous  to 
that  night  at  Linwood  when  he  had  himself  confessed  it, 
and  he  said  to  her  inquiringly, 

"  You  knew  it,  then,  before  I  told  you  ?  " 

"  From  Wilford,— yes,"  Katy  faltered. 

"  I  understand  now  why  you  have  been  so  shy  of  me," 
Morris  said ;  "  but,  Katy,  must  this  shyness  continue  al 
ways?  Think,  now,  and  say  if  you  did  not  tell  more  than 
one  falsehood  the  other  night, — as  you  count  falsehoods  ?  " 

Katy  looked  wonderingly  at  him,  and  he  continued, 

"  You  said  you  could  not  be  my  wife.  Was  that  true  ? 
Can't  you  take  it  back,  and  give  me  a  different  answer  ?  " 

Katy's  cheeks  were  scarlet,  and  her  hands  had  ceased  to 
flutter  about  the  knitting  which  lay  upon  her  lap. 

"  I  meant  what  I  said/7  she  whispered ;  "  for,  knowing 
how  Wilford  felt,  it  would  not  be  right  for  me  to  be  so 
happy. 

"  Then  it's  nothing  personal  ?  If  there  were  no  har 
rowing  memories  of  Wilford,  you  cou]d  be  happy  with  me. 
Is  that  it,  Katy  ?  "  Morris  asked,  coming  close  to  her  now, 
and  imprisoning  her  hands,  which  she  did  not  try  to  take 
away,  but  let  them  lie  in  his  as  he  continued,  "Wilford 
was  willing  at  the  last.  Have  you  forgotten  that?" 

"  I  had,  until  Helen  reminded  me,"  Katy  replied. 
a  But,  Morris,  the  talking  of  this  thing  brings  Wilford's 
death  back  so  vividly,  making  it  seem  but  yesterday  since 
I  held  his  dying  head." 

She  was  beginning  to  relent,  Morris  knew,  and  bend 
ing  nearer  to  her  he  said, 

"  It  was  not  yesterday.  It  will  be  two  years  in  Feb 
ruary;  and  this,  you  know,  is  November.  I  need  you, 
Katy.  I  want  you  so  much.  I  have  wanted  you  all  your 
life.  Before  it  was  wrong  to  do  so,  I  used  each  day  to 
pray  that  God  would  give  you  to  me,  and  now  I  feel  just 


The  Cameron  Pride.  389 

as  sure  that  he  has  opened  the  way  for  you  to  come  to 
me  as  I  am  sure  that  Wilford  is  in  heaven.  He  is  happy 
there,  and  shall  a  morbid  fancy  keep  you  from  being 
happy  here?  Tell  me,  then,  Katy,  will  you  be  my  wife?  " 

He  was  kissing  her  cold  hands,  and  as  he  did  so  he  felt 
her  tears  dropping  on  his  hair. 

"  If  I  say  yes,  Morris,  you  will  not  think  that  I  never 
loved  Wilford,  for  I  did,  oh,  yes!  I  did.  Not  exactly  as 
I  might  have  loved  you,  had  you  asked  me  first,  but  I 
loved  him,  and  I  was  happy  with  him,  for  if  there  were 
little  clouds,  his  dying  swept  them  all  away/' 

Katy  was  proving  herself  a  true  woman,  who  remem 
bered  only  the  good  there  was  in  Wilford,  and  Morris 
3id  not  love  her  less  for  it.  She  was  all  the  dearer  to 
him,  all  the  more  desirable,  and  he  told  her  so,  winding 
his  arms  about  her,  and  resting  her  head  upon  his  shoul 
der,  where  it  lay  just  as  it  had  never  lain  before,  for  with 
the  first  kiss  Morris  gave  her,  calling  her  "  My  own  little 
Katy/'  she  felt  stealing  over  her  the  same  indescribable 
peace  she  had  always  felt  with  him,  intensified  now,  and 
sweeter  from  the  knowing  that  it  would  remain  if  she 
should  will  it  so.  And  she  did  will  it  so,  kissing  Morris 
back  when  he  asked  her  to,  and  thus  sealing  the  compact  of 
her  second  betrothal.  It  was  not  exactly  like  the  first. 
There  was  no  tumultuous  emotions,  or  ecstatic  joys,  but 
Katy  felt  in  her  inmost  heart  that  she  was  happier  now 
than  then ;  that  between  herself  and  Morris  there  was  more 
affinity  than  there  had  been  between  herself  and  Wilford, 
and  as  she  looked  back  over  the  road  she  had  come,  and 
remembered  all  Morris  had  been  to  her,  she  wondered 
at  her  blindness  in  not  recognizing  and  responding  to  the 
love  in  which  she  had  now  found  shelter. 

It  was  very  late  that  night  when  Katy  went  up  to  bed, 
and  Helen,  who  was  not  asleep,  knew  by  the  face  on  which 
the  lamp-light  fell  that  Morris  had  not  sued  in  vain. 
Aunt  Betsy  knew  it,  too,  next  morning,  by  the  same  look 
on  Katy's  face  when  she  came  down  stairs,  but  this  did 
not  prevent  her  saying  abruptly,  as  Katy  stood  by  the 
sink, 

"  Be  you  two  engaged  ?  " 

".We  are,"  was  Katy's  frank  reply,  which  brought  back 


390  The  Cameron  Pride. 

all  Aunt  Betsy's  visions  of  roasted  fowls  and  frosted 
cake,  and  maybe  a  dance  in  the  kitchen,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  feather  bed  which  she  had  not  dared  to  offer  Katy 
Cameron,  but  which  she  thought  would  come  in  play  for 
«  Miss  Dr.  Grant." 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

THE   PRISONERS. 

MANY  of  the  captives  were  coming  home,  and  all  along 
the  Northern  lines  loving  hearts  were  waiting,  and 
friendly  hands  outstretched  to  welcome  them  back  to 
"  God's  land,"  as  the  poor,  suffering  creatures  termed  the 
soil  over  which  waved  the  stars  and  stripes,  for  which 
they  had  fought  so  bravely.  Wistfully  thousands  of  eyes 
ran  over  the  long  columns  of  names  of  those  returned, 
each  eye  seeking  for  its  own,  and  growing  dim  with  tears 
as  it  failed  to  find  it,  or  lighting  up  with  untold  joy  wheik 
it  was  found. 

"  Lieut.  Robert  Reynolds,"  and  "  Thomas  Tubbs,"  Helen 
read  among  the  list  of  those  just  arrived  at  Annapolis,  but 
''  Captain  Mark  Ray  "  was  not  there,  and,  with  a  sicken 
ing  feeling  of  disappointment,  she  passed  the  paper  to 
her  mother-in-law,  and  hastened  away,  to  weep  and  pray 
that  what  she  so  greatly  feared  might  not  come  upon  her. 

It  was  after  Katy's  betrothal,  and  Helen  was  in  New 
York,  hoping  to  hear  news  from  Mark,  and  perhaps  to 
see  him  ere  long,  for  as  nearly  as  she  could  trace  him 
from  reports  of  others,  he  was  last  at  Andersonville.  But 
there  was  no  mention  made  of  him,  no  sign  by  which  she 
could  tell  whether  he  still  lived,  or  had  long  since  been 
relieved  from  suffering. 

Early  next  day  she  heard  that  Mattie  Tubbs  had  re 
ceived  a  telegram  from  Tom,  who  would  soon  be  at  home, 
while  later  in  the  day  Bell  Cameron  came  round  to  say  that 
Bob  was  living,  but  that  he  had  lost  his  right  arm,  and 
was  otherwise  badly  crippled.  It  never  occurred  to  Helen 
to  ask  if  this  would  make  a  difference.  She  only  kissed 


The  Cameron  Pride.  391 

Bell  fondly,  rejoicing  at  her  good  fortune,  and  then  sent 
her  back  to  the  home  where  there  were  hot  discussions  re 
garding  the  propriety  of  receiving  into  the  family  a 
maimed  and  crippled  member. 

"It  was  preposterous  to  suppose  Bob  would  expect  it," 
Juno  said,  while  the  mother  admitted  that  it  was  a  most 
unfortunate  affair,  as  indeed  the  whole  war  had  proved. 
For  her  part  she  sometimes  wished  the  North  had  let  the 
South  go  quietly,  as  they  wanted  to,  and  so  saved  thou 
sands  of  lives,  and  prevented  the  country  from  being 
flooded  with  cripples  and  negroes,  and  calls  for  more  men 
and  money.  On  the  whole,  she  doubted  the  propriety  of 
prolonging  the  war;  and  she  certainly  doubted  the  pro 
priety  of  giving  her  daughter  to  a  cripple.  There  was 
Arthur  Grey,  who  had  lately  been  so  attentive;  he  was  a 
wealthier  man  than  Lieutenant  Bob,  and  if  Bell  had  any 
discretion  she  would  take  him  in  preference  to  a  dis 
figured  soldier. 

Such  was  the  purport  of  Mrs.  Cameron's  remarks,  to 
which  her  husband  listened,  his  eyes  blazing  with  pas 
sion,  which,  the  moment  she  finished,  burst  forth  in  a 
storm  of  oaths  and  invectives  against  what,  with  his  pet 
adjective,  he  called  her  "  Copperhead  principles,"  de 
nouncing  her  as  a  traitor,  reproaching  her  for  the  cruelty 
which  would  separate  her  daughter  from  Robert  Rey 
nolds,  because  he  had  lost  an  arm  in  the  service  of  his 
country;  and  then  turning  fiercely  to  Bell  with  the  words, 

"But  it  isn't  for  you  to  say  whether  he  shall  or  shall 
not  have  Bell.  She  is  of  age.  Let  her  speak  for  herself." 

And  she  did  speak,  the  noble,  heroic  girl,  who  had  lis 
tened,  with  bitter  scorn,  to  what  her  mother  and  sister 
said,  and  who  now,  with  quivering  nostrils,  and  voice 
hoarse  with  emotion,  answered  slowly  and  impressively, 

"I  would  marry  Lieutenant  Reynolds  if  he  had  only 
his  ears  left  to  hear  me  tell  him  how  much  I  love  and* 
honor  him  !  Arthur  Grey !  Don't  talk  to  me  of  him  !  the 
craven  coward,  who  swore  he  was  fifty  to  avoid  the  draft/' 

After  this,  no  more  was  said  to  Bell,  who,  the  moment 
she  heard  Bob  was  at  home,  went  to  his  father's  house 
and  asked  to  see  him. 

He  was  sleeping  when  she  entered  his  room;  and  push- 


392  The  Cameron  Pride. 

ing  back  the  heavy  curtain,  so  that  the  light  would  fall 
more  directly  upon  him,  Mrs.  Reynolds  went  out  and  left 
her  there  alone. 

With  a  beating  heart  she  stood  looking  at  his  hollow 
eyes,  his  sunken  cheek,  his  short,  dry  hair,  and  thick  gray 
skin,  but  did  not  think  of  his  arm,  until  she  glanced  at  the 
wall,  where  hung  a  large-sized  photograph,  taken  in  fulf 
uniform,  the  last  time  he  was  at  home,  and  in  which  hia 
well-developed  figure  showed  to  good  advantage.  Could 
it  be  that  the  wreck  before  her  had  ever  been  as  full  of 
life  and  vigor  as  the  picture  would  indicate,  and  was  that 
arm  which  held  the  sword  severed  from  the  body,  and 
left  a  token  of  the  murderous  war? 

"  Poor  Bob !  how  much  he  must  have  suffered,'*  she 
whispered,  and  kneeling  down  beside  him  she  hid  her 
face  in  her  hands,  weeping  bitter  tears  for  her  armless 
hero. 

The  motion  awakened  Robert,  who  gazed  for  a  moment 
in  surprise  at  the  kneeling,  sobbing  maiden;  then  when 
sure  it  was  she,  he  raised  himself  in  bed,  and  ere  Bell 
could  look  up,  two  arms,  one  quite  as  strong  as  the  other, 
were  wound  around  her  neck,  and  her  head  was  pillowed 
upon  the  breast,  which  heaved  with  strong  emotions  as 
the  soldier  said, 

"  My  darling  Bell,  you  don't  know  how  much  good  this 
meeting  does  me  !  " 

He  kissed  her  many  times,  and  Bell  did  not  prevent  it, 
but  gave  him  kiss  after  kiss,  then,  still  doubting  the  evi 
dence  of  her  eyes,  she  unclasped  his  clinging  arms,  and 
holding  both  his  poor  hands  in  hers,  gave  vent  to  a  second 
gush  of  tears  as  she  said, 

"  I  am  so  glad — oh,  so  glad !  " 

Then,  as  it  occurred  to  her  that  he  might  perhaps  mis 
judge  her,  and  put  a  wrong  construction  upon  her  joy, 
she  added, 

"I  did  not  care  for  myself,  Robert.  Don't  think  I 
cared  for  myself,  or  was  ever  sorry  a  bit  on  my  own  ac 
count." 

Bob  looked  a  little  bewildered  as  he  replied,  "  Never 
were  sorry  and  never  cared! — I  can  scarcely  credit  that, 


The  Cameron  Pride.  393 

for  surely  your  tears  and  present  emotions  belie  your 
words." 

Bell  knew  he  had  not  understood  her,,  and  said, 

"  Your  arm,  Robert,  your  arm.  We  heard  that  it  was 
cut  off,  and  that  you  were  otherwise  mutilated." 

"  Oh,  that's  it,  then !  "  and  something  like  his  old  mis 
chievous  smile  glimmered  about  Bob's  mouth  as  he  added, 
"  They  spared  my  arms,  but,  Bell,"  and  he  tried  to  look 
very  solemn,  "  suppose  I  tell  you  that  they  hacked  off  both 
my  legs,  and  if  you  marry  me,  you  must  walk  all  your 
life  by  the  side  of  wooden  pins  and  crutches!" 

Bell  knew  by  the  curl  of  his  lip  that  he  was  teasing 
her,  and  she  answered  laughingly, 

"  Wooden  pins  and  crutches  will  be  all  the  fashion  when 
the  war  is  over — badges  of  honor  of  which  any  woman 
might  be  proud." 

"Well,  Bell,"  he  replied,  "I  am  afraid  there  is  no 
such  honor  in  store  for  my  wife,  for  if  I  ever  get  back 
my  strength  and  the  flesh  upon  my  bones,  she  must  take 
me  with  legs  and  arms  included.  Not  even  a  scratch  or 
wound  of  any  kind  with  which  to  awaken  sympathy." 

He  appeared  very  bright  and  cheerful;  but  when  after 
a  moment  Bell  asked  for  Mark  Bay,  there  came  a  shadow 
over  his  face,  and  with  quivering  lips  he  told  a  tale  which 
blanched  Bell's  cheeks,  and  made  her  shiver  with  pain  and 
dread  as  she  thought  of  Helen — for  Mark  ivas  dead — shot 
down  as  he  attempted  to  escape  from  the  train  which  took 
them  from  one  prison  to  another.  He  was  always  devis 
ing  means  of  escape,  succeeding  several  times,  but  was 
immediately  captured  and  brought  back,  or  sent  to  some 
closer  quarter,  Robert  said;  but  his  courage  never  de 
serted  him,  or  his  spirits  either.  He  was  the  life  of  them 
all,  and  by  his  presence  kept  many  a  poor  fellow  from 
dying  of  homesickness  and  despair.  But  he  was  dead; 
there  could  be  no  mistake,  for  Robert  saw  him  when  he 
jumped,  heard  the  ball  which  went  whizzing  after  him, 
saw  him  as  he  fell  on  the  open  field,  saw  a  man  from  a 
rude  dwelling  near  by  go  hurriedly  towards  him,  firing 
his  own  revolver,  as  if  to  make  the  death  deed  doubly 
sure.  Then  as  the  train  slacked  its  speed,  with  a  view, 
perhaps,  to  take  the  body  on  board,  he  heard  the  man  who 


394  The  Cameron  Pride. 

had  reached  Mark,  and  was  bending  over  him,  call  out, 
"  Go  on,  I'll  tend  to  him,  the  bullet  went  right  through 
here ; "  and  he  turned  the  dead  man's  face  towards  the 
train,  so  all  could  see  the  blood  pouring  from  the  temple 
which  the  finger  of  the  ruffian  touched. 

"  Oh,  Helen !  poor  Helen !  how  can  I  tell  her,  when  she 
loved  him  so  much ! "  Bell  sobbed. 

"You  will  do  it  better  than  any  one  else,"  Bob  said. 
"You  will  be  very  tender  with  her;  and,  Bell,  tell  her, 
as  some  consolation,  that  he  did  not  break  with  the  treat 
ment,  as  most  of  us  wretches  did ;  he  kept  up  wonder 
fully — said  he  was  perfectly  well — and,  indeed,  he  looked 
so.  Tom  Tubbs,  who  was  his  shadow,  clinging  to  him 
with  wonderful  fidelity,  will  corroborate  what  I  have  said. 
He  was  with  us;  he  saw  him.  and  only  animal  force  pre 
vented  him  from  leaping  from  the  car  and  going  to  him 
where  he  fell.  I  shall  never  forget  his  shriek  of  agony 
at  the  sight  of  that  blood-stained  face,  turned  an  instant 
towards  us." 

"  Don't,  don't !  »  Bell  cried  again ;  "  I  can't  endure  it !  " 
and  as  Mrs.  Reynolds  came  in  she  left  her  lover  and 
started  for  Mrs.  Banker's,  meeting  on  the  steps  Tom  Tubbs 
himself,  who  had  come  on  an  errand  similar  to  her  own. 

"  Sit  here  in  the  hall  a  moment,"  she  said  to  him,  as 
the  servant  admitted  them  both.  "  I  must  see  Mrs.  Ray 
first." 

Helen  was  reading  to  her  mother-in-law;  but  she  laid 
down  her  book  and  came  to  welcome  Bell,  detecting  at 
once  the  agitation  in  her  manner,  and  asking  if  she  had 
bad  news  from  Robert. 

"  No,  Robert  is  at  home ;  I  have  just  come  from  there, 
and  he  told  me — oh  !  Helen,  can  you  bear  it  ? — Mark  is  dead 
— shot  twice  as  he  jumped  from  the  train  taking  him 
to  another  prison.  Robert  saw  it  and  knew  that  he  was 
dead." 

Bell  could  get  no  further,  for  Helen,  who  had  never 
fainted  in  her  life,  did  so  now,  lying  senseless  so  long  that 
the  physician  began  to  think  it  would  be  a  mercy  if  she 
never  came  back  to  life,  for  her  reason,  he  fancied,  had 
fled.  But  Helen  did  come  back  to  life,  with  reason  un 
impaired,  and  insisted  upon  hearing  every  detail  of  the 


The  Cameron  Pride.  395 

dreadful  story,  both  from  Bell  and  Tom.  The  latter  con 
firmed  all  Lieutenant  Reynolds  had  said,  besides  adding 
many  items  of  his  own.  Mark  was  dead,  there  could  be 
no  doubt  of  it;  but  with  the  tenacity  of  a  strong,  hope 
ful  nature,  the  mother  clung  to  the  illusion  that  possibly 
the  ball  stunned,  instead  of  killing — that  he  would  yet 
come  back;  and  many  a  time  as  the  days  went  by,  that 
mother  started  at  the  step  upon  the  walk,  or  ring  of  the 
bell,  which  she  fancied  might  be  his,  hearing  him  some 
times  calling  in  the  night  storm  for  her  to  let  him  in,  and 
hurrying  down  to  the  door  only  to  be  disappointed  and  go 
back  to  her  lonely  room  to  weep  the  dark  night  through. 

With  Helen  there  were  no  such  illusions.  After  talking 
calmly  and  rationally  with  both  Robert  and  Tom,  she  knew 
her  husband  was  dead,  and  never  watched  and  waited  for 
him  as  his  mother  did.  She  had  heard  from  Mark's  com 
panions  in  suffering  all  they  had  to  tell,  of  his  captivity 
and  his  love  for  her  which  manifested  itself  in  so  many 
different  ways.  Passionately  she  had  wept  over  the  tress 
of  faded  hair  which  Tom  Tubbs  brought  to  her,  saying, 
"he  cut  it  from  his  head  just  before  we  left  the  prison, 
and  told  me  if  he  never  got  home  and  I  did,  to  give  the 
lock  to  you,  and  say  that  all  was  well  between  him  and 
God — that  your  prayers  had  saved  him.  He  wanted  you  to 
know  that,  because,  he  said,  it  would  comfort  you  most  of 
all." 

And  it  did  comfort  her  when  she  looked  up  at  the 
clear  wintry  heavens  and  thought  that  her  lost  one  was 
there.  It  was  her  first  real  trial,  and  it  crushed  her  with 
its  magnitude,  so  that  she  could  not  submit  at  once,  and 
many  a  cry  of  desolate  agony  broke  the  silence  of  her 
room,  where  the  whole  night  through  she  sat  musing  of 
the  past,  and  raining  kisses  upon  the  little  lock  of  hair 
which  from  the  Southern  prison  had  come  to  her,  sole 
relic  of  the  husband  so  dearly  loved  and  truly  mourned. 
How  faded  it  was  from  the  rich  brown  she  remembered 
so  well,  and  Helen  gazing  at  it  could  realize  in  part  the 
suffering  and  want  which  had  worn  so  many  precious  lives 
away.  It  was  strange  she  never  dreamed  of  him.  She 
often  prayed  that  she  might,  so  as  to  drive  from  her  mind, 
if  possible,  the  picture  of  the  prostrate  form  upon  the 


396  The  Cameron  Pride. 

low,  damp  field,  and  the  blood-stained  face  turned  in  its 
mortal  agony  towards  the  southern  sky  and  the  pitiless 
foe  above  it.  So  she  always  saw  him,  shuddering  as  she 
wondered  if  the  foe  had  buried  him  decently  or  left  his 
bones  to  bleach  upon  the  open  plain. 

Poor  Helen,  she  was  widowed  indeed,  and  it  needed  not 
the  badge  of  mourning  to  tell  how  terribly  she  was  be 
reaved.  But  the  badge  was  there,  too,  for  in  spite  of  the 
hope  which  said,  "  he  is  not  dead/'  Mrs.  Banker  yielded 
to  Helen's  importunities,  and  clothed  herself  and  daugh 
ter-in-law  in  the  habiliments  of  woe,  still  waiting,  still 
watching,  still  listening  for  the  step  she  should  recognize 
so  quickly,  still  looking  down  the  street ;  but  looking,  alas ! 
in  vain.  The  winter  passed  away.  Captive  after  captive 
came  home,  heart  after  heart  was  cheered  by  the  returning 
loved  one,  but  for  the  inmates  of  No. —  the  heavy  cloud 
grew  blacker,  for  the  empty  chair  by  the  hearth  remained 
unoccupied,  and  the  aching  hearts  uncheered.  Mark  Ray 
did  not  come  back. 


CHAPTER  L. 

THE  DAY  OF  THE  WEDDING. 
* 

THOSE  first  warm  days  of  March,  1865,  when  spring  and 
summer  seemed  to  kiss  each  other  and  join  hands  for  a 
brief  space  of  time,  how  balmy,  how  still,  how  pleasant 
they  were,  and  how  bright  the  farm-house  looked,  where 
preparations  for  Katy's  second  bridal  were  going  rapidly 
forward.  Aunt  Betsy  was  in  her  element,  for  now  had 
come  the  reality  of  the  vision  she  had  seen  so  long,  of  house 
turned  upside  down  in  one  grand  onslaught  of  suds  and 
sand,  then,  righted  again  by  magic  power,  and  smelling 
very  sweet  and  clean  from  its  recent  ablutions — of  turkeys 
dying  in  the  barn,  of  chickens  in  the  shed,  of  loaves  of 
frosted  cake,  with  cards  and  cards  of  snowy  biscuit  piled 
upon  the  pantry  shelf — of  jellies,  tarts,  and  chicken  salad 
— of  home-made  wine,  and  home-brewed  beer,  with  tea 
and  coffee  portioned  out  and  ready  for  the  evening. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  397 

In  the  dining-room  the  table  was  set  with  the  new  China 
ware  and  silver,  a  joint  Christmas  gift  from  Helen  and 
Katy  to  their  good  Aunt  Hannah,  as  real  mistress  of  the 
house. 

"Not  plated  ware,  but  the  gen-oo-ine  article,"  Aunt 
Betsy  had  explained  at  least  twenty  times  to  those  who 
came  to  see  the  silver,  and  she  handled  it  proudly  now  as 
she  took  it  from  the  flannel  bags  in  which  Mrs.  Deacon 
Bannister  said  it  must  be  kept,  and  placed  it  on  a  side- 
table. 

The  coffee-urn  was  Katy's,  so  was  the  tea-kettle  and  the 
massive  pitcher,  but  the  rest  was  "  ours,"  Aunt  Betsy  com 
placently  reflected  as  she  contemplated  the  glittering  array, 
and  then  hurried  off  to  see  what  was  burning  on  the  stove, 
stumbling  over  Morris  as  she  went,  and  telling  him  "  he 
had  come  too  soon — it  was  not  fittin'  for  him  to  be  there 
under  foot  until  he  was  wanted." 

Without  replying  directly  to  Aunt  Betsy,  Morris  knocked 
with  a  vast  amount  of  assurance  at  a  side-door,  which 
opened  directly,  and  Katy's  glowing  face  looked  out,  and 
Katy's  voice  was  heard,  saying  joyfully, 

"  Oh,  Morris,  it's  you.  I'm  so  glad  you've  come,  for  I 
wanted  " 

But  what  she  wanted  was  lost  to  Aunt  Betsy  by  the 
closing  of  the  door,  and  Morris  and  Katy  were  alone  in  the 
little  sewing  room  where  latterly  thev  had  passed  so  many 
quiet  hours  together,  and  where  lay  the  bridal  dress  with 
its  chaste  and  simple  decorations.  Katy  had  clung  ten 
aciously  to  her  mourning  robe,  asking  if  she  might  wear 
black,  as  ladies  sometimes  did.  But  Morris  had  promptly 
answered  no.  His  bride,  if  she  came  to  him  willingly, 
must  not  come  clad  in  widow's  weeds,  for  when  she  be 
came  his  wife  she  would  cease  to  be  a  widow. 

And  so  black  was  laid  aside,  and  Katy,  in  soft  tinted 
colors,  with  her  bright  hair  curling  on  her  neck,  looked 
as  girlish  and  beautiful  as  if  in  Greenwood  there  were  no 
pretentious  monument,  with  Wilford's  name  upon  it,  nor 
any  little  grave  in  Silverton  where  Baby  Cameron  slept. 
She  had  been  both  wife  and  mother,  but  she  was  quite  as 
dear  to  Morris  as  if  she  had  never  borne  other  name  than 
Katy  Lennox,  and  as  he  held  her  for  a  moment  to  his 


398  The  Cameron  Pride. 

heart  he  thanked  God  who  had  at  last  given  to  him  the 
idol  of  his  boyhood  and  the  love  of  his  later  years.  Across 
their  pathway  no  shadow  was  lying,  except  when  they  re 
membered  Helen,  on  whom  the  mantle  of  widowhood  had 
fallen  just  as  Katy  was  throwing  it  off. 

Poor  Helen !  the  tears  always  crept  to  Katy's  eyes  when 
she  thought  of  her,  and  now,  as  she  saw  her  steal  across 
the  road  and  strike  into  the  winding  path  which  led  to  the 
pasture  where  the  pines  and  hemlock  grew,  she  nestled 
closer  to  Morris,  and  whispered, 

"  Sometimes  I  think  it  wrong  to  be  so  happy  when 
Helen  is  so  sad.  I  pity  her  so  much  to-day." 

And  Helen  was  to  be  pitied,  for  her  heart  was  aching 
to  its  very  core.  She  had  tried  to  keep  up  through  the 
preparations  for  Katy's  bridal,  tried  to  seem  interested 
and  even  cheerful,  while  all  the  time  a  hidden  agony  was 
tugging  at  her  heart,  and  life  seemed  a  heavier  burden 
than  she  could  bear. 

All  her  portion  of  the  work  was  finished  now,  and  in 
the  balmy  brightness  of  that  warm  April  afternoon  she 
went  into  the  fields  where  she  could  be  alone  beneath  the 
soft  summer-like  sky,  and  pour  out  her  pent-up  anguish 
into  the  ear  of  Him  who  had  so  often  soothed  and  com 
forted  her  when  other  aids  had  failed.  Last  night,  for 
the  first  time  since  she  heard  the  dreadful  news,  she  had 
dreamed  of  Mark,  and  when  she  awoke  she  still  felt  the 
pressure  of  his  lips  upon  her  brow,  the  touch  of  his  arm 
upon  her  waist,  and  the  thrilling  clasp  of  his  warm  hand 
as  it  pressed  and  held  her  own.  But  that  was  a  dream,  a 
cruel  delusion,  and  its  memory  made  the  more  dark  and 
dreary  as  she  went  slowly  up  the  beaten  path,  pausing 
once  beneath  a  chestnut  tree  and  leaning  her  throbbing 
head  against  the  shaggy  bark  as  she  heard  in  the  distance 
the  shrill  whistle  of  the  downward  train  from  Albany,  and 
thought  as  she  always  did  when  she  heard  that  whistle, 
"  Oh,  if  that  heralded  Mark's  return,  how  happy  I  should 
be."  But  many  sounds  like  that  had  echoed  across  the  Sil- 
verton  hills,  bringing  no  hope  to  her.  and  now  as  it  again 
died  away  in  the  Cedar  Swamp  she  pursued  her  way  up 
the  path  till  she  reached  a  long  white  ledge  of  rocks — 
"  The  lovers'  Kock,"  some  called  it,  for  village  boys  and 


The  Cameron  Pride.  399 

maidens  knew  the  place,  repairing  to  it  often,  and  whis 
pering  their  vows  beneath  the  overhanging  pines,  which 
whispered  back  again,  and  told  the  winds  the  story  which 
though  so  old  is  always  new  to  her  who  listens  and  to  him 
who  tells. 

Just  underneath  the  pine  there  was  a  large  flat  stone, 
and  there  Helen  sat  down,  gazing  sadly  upon  the  valley 
below,  and  the  clear  waters  of  Fairy  Pond  gleaming  in  the 
April  sunshine  which  lay  so  warmly  on  the  grassy  hills 
and  flashed  so  brightly  from  the  cupola  at  Linwood,  where 
the  national  flag  was  flying.  For  a  time  Helen  watched 
the  banner  as  it  shook  its  folds  to  the  breeze,  then  as  she 
remembered  with  what  a  fearful  price  that  flag  had  been 
saved  from  dishonor,  she  hid  her  face  in  her  hands  and 
sobbed  bitterly. 

"God  help  me  not  to  think  I  paid  too  dearly  for  my 
country's  rights.  Oh,  Mark,  my  husband,  I  may  be  wrong, 
but  you  were  dearer  to  me  than  many,  many  countries, 
and  it  is  hard  to  give  you  up — hard  to  know  that  the 
notes  of  peace  which  float  up  from  the  South  will  not 
waken  you  in  that  grave  which  I  can  never  see.  Oh,  Mark, 
my  darling,  my  darling,  I  love  you  so  much,  I  miss  you 
so  much,  I  want  you  so  much.  God  help  me  to  bear. 
God  help  to  say,  cThy  will  be  done/* 

She  was  rocking  to  and  fro  in  her  grief,  with  her  hands 
pressed  over  her  face,  and  for  a  long  time  she  sat  thus, 
while  the  sun  crept  on  further  towards  the  west,  and  the 
freshened  breeze  shook  the  tasseled  pine  above  her  head 
and  kissed  the  bands  of  rich  brown  hair,  from  which  her 
hat  had  fallen.  She  did  not  heed  the  lapse  of  time,  nor 
hear  the  footstep  coming  up  the  pathway  to  the  ledge  where 
she  was  sitting,  the  footstep  which  paused  at  intervals,  as 
if  the  comer  were  weary,  or  in  quest  of  some  one,  but  which 
at  last  came  on  with  rapid  bounds  as  an  opening  among 
the  trees  showed  where  Helen  sat.  It  was  a  tall  young 
man  who  came,  a  young  man,  sun-burned  and  scarred,  with 
uniform  soiled  and  worn,  but  with  the  fire  in  his  brown 
eyes  unquenched,  the  love  in  his  true  heart  unchanged, 
save  as  it  was  deeper,  more  intense  for  the  years  of  separa 
tion,  and  the  long,  cruel  suspense,  which  was  all  over  now. 
The  grave  had  given  up  its  dead,  the  captive  was  released. 


400  The  Cameron  Pride. 

and  through  incredible  suffering  and  danger  had  reached 
his  Northern  home,  had  sought  and  found  his  girl-wife  of 
a  few  hours,  for  it  was  Mark  Ray  speeding  up  the  path, 
and  holding  back  his  breath  as  he  came  close  to  the  bowed 
form  upon  the  rock,  feeling  a  strange  throb  of  awe  when 
he  saw  the  mourning  dress,  and  knew  it  was  worn  for  him. 
A  moment  more,  and  she  lay  in  his  arms ;  white  and  insen 
sible,  for  with  the  sudden  winding  of  his  arms  around  her 
neck,  the  pressure  of  his  lips  upon  her  cheek,  the  calling 
of  her  name,  and  the  knowing  it  was  really  her  husband, 
she  had  uttered  a  wild,  impassioned  cry,  half  of  terror,  half 
of  joy,  and  fainted  entirely  away,  just  as  she  did  when 
told  that  he  was  dead !  There  was  no  water  near,  but  with 
loving  words  and  soft  caresses  Mark  brought  her  back  to 
life,  raining  both  tears  and  kisses  upon  the  dear  face  which 
had  grown  so  white  and  thin  since  the  Christmas  eve  when 
the  wintry  star  light  had  looked  down  upon  their  parting. 
For  several  moments  neither  could  speak  for  the  great 
choking  joy  which  wholly  precluded  the  utterance  of  a 
word.  Helen  was  the  first  to  rally.  With  her  head  lying 
in  Mark's  lap  and  pillowed  on  Mark's  arm,  she  whispered, 

"  Let  us  thank  God  together.  You,  too,  have  learned 
to  pray." 

Reverently  Mark  bent  his  head  to  hers,  and  the  pine 
boughs  overhead  heard,  instead  of  mourning  notes,  a  prayer 
of  praise,  as  the  reunited  wife  and  husband  fervently 
thanked  God,  who  had  brought  them  together  again. 

Not  until  nearly  a  half  hour  was  gone,  and  Helen  had 
begun  to  realize  that  the  arm  which  held  her  so  tightly 
was  genuine  flesh  and  blood,  and  not  mere  delusion,  did 
she  look  up  into  the  face,  glowing  with  so  much  of  hap 
piness  and  love.  Upon  the  forehead,  and  just  beneath 
the  hair,  there  was  a  savage  scar,  and  the  flesh  about  it 
was  red  and  angry  still,  showing  how  sore  and  painful  it 
must  have  been,  and  making  Helen  shudder  as  she  touched 
it  with  her  lips,  and  said, 

"  Poor,  darling  Mark !  that's  where  the  cruel  ball  en 
tered  ;  but  where  is  the  other  scar, — the  one  made  by  the 
man  who  went  to  you  in  the  fields.  I  have  tried  so  hard 
not  to  hate  him  for  firing  at  a  fallen  foe." 

"  Rather  pray  for  him,  darling.     Bless  him  as  the  sa- 


The  Cameron  Pride.  401 

vior  of  your  husband's  life,  the  noble  fellow  but  for  whom 
I  should  not  have  been  here  now,  for  he  was  a  Unionist, 
as  true  to  the  old  flag  as  Abraham  himself,"  Mark  Ray 
replied ;  and  then,  as  Helen  looked  wonderingly  at  him, 
he  laid  her  head  in  an  easier  position  upon  his  shoulder, 
and  told  her  a  story  so  strange  in  its  details,  that  but  for 
the  frequent  occurrence  of  similar  incidents,  it  would  be 
pronounced  wholly  unreal  and  false.*' 

Of  what  he  suffered  in  the  Southern  prisons  he  did 
not  speak,  either  then  or  ever  after,  but  began  with  the 
day  when,  with  a  courage  born  of  desperation,  he  jumped 
from  the  moving  train  and  was  shot  down  by  the  guard. 
Partially  stunned,  he  still  retained  sense  enough  to  know 
when  a  tall  form  bent  over  him,  and  to  hear  the  rough 
but  kindly  voice  which  said, 

"  Play  'possum,  Yank.  Make  b'lieve  you're  dead,  and 
throw  'em  off  the  scent." 

This  was  the  last  he  knew  for  many  weeks,  and  when 
again  he  woke  to  consciousness  he  found  himself  on  the 
Tipper  floor  of  a  dilapidated  hut,  which  stood  in  the  cen 
tre  of  a  little  wood,  his  bed  a  pile  of  straw,  over  which 
was  spread  a  clean  patch-work  quilt,  while  seated  at  his 
side,  and  watching  him  intently,  was  the  same  man  who 
had  bent  over  him  in  the  field,  and  shouted  to  the  rebels 
that  he  was  dead. 

<{I  shall  never  forget  my  sensations  then,"  Mark  said, 
"for  with  the  exception  of  this  present  hour,  when  I 
hold  you  in  my  arms,  and  know  the  danger  is  over,  I 
never  experienced  a  moment  of  greater  happiness  and 
rest  than  when,  up  in  that  squalid  garret,  I  came  back 
to  life  again,  the  pain  in  my  head  all  gone,  and  nothing 
left  save  a  delicious  feeling  of  languor,  which  prompted 
me  to  lie  quietly  for  several  minutes,  examining  my  sur 
roundings,  and  speculating  upon  the  chance  which  brought 
me  there.  That  I  was  a  prisoner  I  did  not  doubt,  until 
the  old  man  at  my  side  said  to  me  cheerily, 

"Well,  old  chap,  you've  come  through  it  like  a  major, 
though  I  was  mighty  dubus  a  spell  about  that  pesky  ball. 
But  old  Aunt  Bab  and  me  fished  it  out,  and  since  then 
you've  begun  to  mend." 

" 6  Where  am  I  ?     Who  are  you  ? '  I  asked,  and  he  re- 


402  The  Cameron  Pride. 

plied,  (  Who  be  I  ?  Why,  Fm  Jack  Jennins,  the  rarinest, 
redhotedest  secesh  there  is  in  these  yer  parts,  so  the  Rebs 
thinks ;  but  'twixt  you  and  me,  boy,  I'm  the  tallest  kind  of 
a  Union, — got  a  piece  of  the  old  flag  sowed  inside  of  my 
boots,  and  every  night  before  sleepin'  I  prays  the  Lord  to 
gin  Abe  the  victory,  and  raise  Cain  generally  in  t'other 
camp,  and  forgive  Jack  Jennins  for  tellin'  so  many  lies, 
and  makin'  b'lieve  he's  one  thing  when  you  know  and  he 
knows  he's  t'other.  If  I've  spared  one  Union  chap,  I'll  bet 
I  have  a  hundred,  me  and  old  Bab,  a  black  woman  who 
lives  here  and  tends  to  the  cases  I  fotch  her,  till  we  con 
trive  to  git  ?em  inter  Tennessee,  whar  they  hev  to  shift 
for  themselves/ 

"  I  could  only  press  his  hand  in  token  of  my  gratitude 
while  he  went  on  to  say,  '  Them  was  beans  I  fired  at  you 
that  day,  but  they  sarved  every  purpose,  and  them  scalli- 
wags  on  the  train  s'pose  you  were  put  underground  weeks 
ago,  if  indeed  you  wasn't  left  to  rot  in  the  sun,  as  heaps 
and  heaps  on  'em  is.  Nobody  knows  you  are  here  but  Bab 
and  me,  and  nobody  must  know  if  you  want  to  git  off  with 
a  whole  hide.  I  could  git  a  hundred  dollars  by  givin'  you 
up,  but  you  don't  s'pose  Jack  Jennins  is  a  gwine  to  do 
that  ar  infernal  trick.  No,  sir/  and  he  brought  his  brawny 
fist  down  upon  his  knee  with  a  force  which  made  me 
tremble,  while  I  tried  to  express  my  thanks  for  his  great 
kindness.  He  was  a  noble  man,  Helen,  while  Aunt  Bab, 
the  colored  woman,  who  nursed  me  so  tenderly,  and  whose 
black,  bony  hands  I  kissed  at  parting,  was  as  true  a  woman 
as  any  with  a  fairer  skin  and  more  beautiful  exterior. 

"  For  three  weeks  longer  I  stayed  up  in  that  loft,  and  in 
that  time  three  more  escaped  prisoners  were  brought  there, 
and  one  Union  refugee  from  North  Carolina.  We  left  in 
company  one  wild,  rainy  night,  when  the  storm  and  dark 
ness  must  have  been  sent  for  our  special  protection,  and 
Jack  Jennings  cried  like  a  little  child  when  he  bade  me 
good-bye,  promising,  if  he  survived  the  war,  to  find  his 
way  to  the  North  and  visit  me  in  New  York. 

"  We  found  these  Unionists  everywhere,  and  especially 
among  the  mountains  of  Tennessee,  where,  but  for  their 
timely  aid,  we  had  surely  been  recaptured.  With  blis 
tered  feet  and  bruised  limbs  we  reached  the  lines  at  last, 


The  Cameron  Pride.  403 

when  fever  attacked  me  for  the  second  time  and  brought 
me  near  to  death.  Somebody  wrote  to  you,  but  you 
never  received  it,  and  when  I  grew  better  I  would  not  let 
them  write  again,  as  I  wanted  to  surprise  you.  As  soon 
as  I  was  able  I  started  North,  my  thoughts  full  of  the 
joyful  meeting  in  store — a  meeting  which  I  dreaded  too, 
for  I  knew  you  must  think  me  dead,  and  I  felt  so  sorry 
for  you,  my  darling,  knowing,  as  I  did,  you  would  mourn 
for  your  soldier  husband.  That  my  darling  has  mourned 
is  written  on  her  face,  and  needs  no  words  to  tell  it;  but 
that  is  over  now/''  Mark  said,  folding  his  wife  closer  to  him, 
and  kissing  the  pale  lips,  while  he  told  her  how,  arrived 
at  Albany,  he  had  telegraphed  to  his  mother,  asking  where 
Helen  was. 

"In  Silverton,"  was  the  reply,  and  so  he  came  on  in 
the  morning  train,  meeting  his  mother  in  Springfield  as 
he  had  half  expected  to  do,  knowing  that  she  could  leave 
New  York  in  time  to  join  him  there. 

"  No  words  of  mine,"  he  said,  "  are  adequate  to  de 
scribe  the  thrill  of  joy  with  which  I  looked  again  upon 
the  hills  and  rocks  so  identified  with  you  that  I  loved 
them  for  your  sake,  hailing  them  as  old,  familiar  friends, 
and  actually  growing  sick  and  faint  with  excitement  when 
through  the  leafless  woods  I  caught  the  gleam  of  Fairy 
Pond,  where  I  gathered  the  lilies  for  you.  There  is  a 
wedding  in  progress  at  the  farm-house,  I  learned  from 
mother,  and  it  seems  very  meet  that  I  should  come  at  this 
time,  making,  in  reality,  a  double  wedding  when  I  can 
truly  claim  my  bride,"  and  Mark  kissed  Helen  passionately, 
laughing  to  see  how  the  blushes  broke  over  her  white  face, 
and  burned  upon  her  neck. 

Those  were  happy  moments  which  they  passed  together 
upon  that  ledge  of  rocks,  happy  enough  to  atone  for  all 
the  dreadful  past,  and  when  at  last  they  rose  and  slowly 
retraced  their  steps  to  the  farm-house,  it  seemed  to  Mark 
that  Helen's  cheeks  were  rounder  than  when  he  found  her, 
while  Helen  knew  that  the  arm  on  which  she  leaned  was 
stronger  than  when  it  first  encircled  her  an  hour  or  two 
before. 


404  The  Cameron  Pride. 


CHAPTER  LI. 

THE  WEDDING. 

ON  the  same  train  with  Mrs.  Banker  and  Mark,  Bell 
Cameron  came  with  Bob,  but  father  Cameron  was  not  able 
to  come;  he  would  gladly  have  done  so  if  he  could,  and 
he  sent  his  blessing  to  Katy  with  the  wish  that  she  might 
be  very  happy  in  her  second  married  life.  This  message 
Bell  gave  to  Katy,  and  then  tried  to  form  some  reasonable 
excuse  for  her  mother's  and  Juno's  absence,  for  she  could 
not  tell  how  haughtily  both  had  declined  the  invitation, 
Juno  finding  fault  because  Katy  had  not  waited  longer 
than  two  years,  and  Mrs.  Cameron  blaming  her  for  being 
so  very  vulgar  as  to  be  married  at  home,  instead  of  in 
church.  On  this  point  Katy  herself  had  been  a  little  dis 
quieted,  feeling  how  much  more  appropriate  it  was  that 
she  be  married  in  the  church,  but  shrinking  from  standing 
again  a  bride  at  the  same  altar  where  she  had  once  before 
been  made  a  wife.  She  could  not  do  it,  she  finally  decided ; 
there  would  be  too  many  harrowing  memories  crowding 
upon  her  mind,  and  as  Morris  did  not  particularly  care 
where  the  ceremony  was  performed,  it  was  settled  that  it 
should  be  at  the  house,  even  though  Mrs.  Deacon  Bannister 
did  say  that  "  she  had  supposed  Dr.  Grant  too  High  Church 
to  do  anything  so  Presbyiorianny  as  that." 

Bell's  arrival  at  the  farm-house  was  timely;  for  the  un 
expected  appearance  in  their  midst  of  one  whom  they 
looked  upon  as  surely  dead  had  stunned  and  bewildered 
the  family  to  such  an  extent  that  it  needed  the  presence 
of  just  such  a  matter-of-fact,  self-possessed  woman  as 
Bell,  to  bring  things  back  to  their  original  shape.  It 
was  wonderful  how  the  city  girl  fitted  into  the  vacant 
niches,  seeing  to  everything  which  needed  seeing  to,  and 
still  finding  time  to  steal  away  alone  with  Lieutenant  Bob, 
who  kept  her  in  a  painful  state  of  blushing,  by  constantly 
wishing  it  was  his  bridal  night  as  well  as  Dr.  Grant's,  and 


The  Cameron  Pride.  405 

by  inveighing  against  the  weeks  which  must  intervene,  ere 
the  day  appointed  for  the  grand  ceremony,  to  take  place 
in  Grace  Church,  and  which  was  to  make  Bell  his  wife. 


"  Come  in  here,  Helen,  I  have  something  to  show  you/' 
Mrs.  Banker  said,  after  she  had  again  embraced  and  wept 
over  her  long  lost  son,  whose  return  was  not  quite  real 
yet;  and  leading  her  daughter-in-law  to  her  bedroom, 
she  showed  her  the  elegant,  white  silk  which  had  been  made 
for  her  just  after  her  marriage,  two  years  before,  and 
which,  with  careful  forethought,  she  had  brought  with  her, 
as  more  suitable  now  for  the  wedding  than  Helen's  mourn 
ing  weeds. 

"I  made  the  most  of  my  time  last  night,  after  receiv 
ing  Mark's  telegram,  and  had  it  modernized  somewhat," 
she  said.  "  And  I  brought  your  pearls,  for  you  will  be 
most  as  much  a  bride  as  Katy,  and  I  have  a  pride  in  seeing 
my  son's  wife  appropriately  dressed." 

Far  different  were  Helen's  feelings  now,  as  she  donned 
the  elegant  dress,  from  what  they  had  been  the  first  and 
only  time  she  wore  it.  Then  the  bridegroom  was  where 
danger  and  death  lay  thickly  around  his  pathway ;  but  now 
he  was  at  her  side,  kissing  her  cheek,  where  the  roses  were 
burning  so  brightly,  and  calling  still  deeper  blushes  to 
her  face,  by  his  teasing  observations  and  humorous  ridi 
cule  of  his  own  personal  appearance.  Would  she  not  feel 
ashamed  of  him  in  his  soiled  uniform?  And  would  she 
not  cast  longing  glances  at  her  handsome  brother-in-law 
and  the  stylish  Lieutenant  Bob  ?  But  Helen  was  proud  of 
her  husband's  uniform,  as  a  badge  of  what  he  had  suf 
fered;  and  when  the  folds  of  her  rich  dress  swept  against 
it,  she  did  not  draw  them  away,  but  nestled  closer  to  him, 
leaning  upon  his  shoulder;  and  when  no  one  was  near, 
winding  her  soft  arm  about  his  neck  once,  whispering, 
"  My  darling  Mark,  I  cannot  make  it  real  yet." 

Softly  the  night  shadows  fell  around  the  farm-house, 
and  in  the  rooms  below  a  rather  mixed  group  was  assem 
bled — all  the  elite  of  the  town,  with  many  of  Aunt  Betsy's 
neighbors,  and  the  doctor's  patients,  who  had  come  to 


406  The  Cameron  Pride. 

see  their  physician  married,  rejoicing  in  his  happiness, 
and  glad  that  the  mistress  of  Linwood  was  not  to  be  a 
stranger,  but  the  young  girl  who  had  grown  up  in  their 
midst,  and  who,  by  suffering  and  sorrow,  had  been  moulded 
into  a  noble  woman,  worthy  of  Dr.  Grant.  She  was  ready 
now  for  her  second  bridal,  in  her  dress  of  white,  with  no 
vestige  of  color  in  her  face,  and  her  great  blue  eyes  shin 
ing  with  a  brilliancy  which  made  them  almost  black.  Oc 
casionally,  as  her  thoughts  leaped  backward  over  a  period 
of  almost  six  years,  a  tear  trembled  on  her  long  eyelashes, 
but  Morris  kissed  it  away,  asking  if  she  were  sorry. 

"  Oh,  no,  not  sorry  that  I  am  to  be  your  wife,"  she  an 
swered;  "but  it  is  not  possible  that  I  should  forget  en 
tirely  the  roughness  of  the  road  which  has  led  me  to  you." 

"  They  are  waiting  for  you,"  was  said  several  times, 
and  down  the  stairs  passed  Mark  Eay  and  Helen,  Lieut. 
Bob  and  Bell,  with  Dr.  Grant  and  Katy,  whose  face,  as  she 
stood  again  before  the  clergyman  and  spoke  her  marriage 
vows,  shone  with  a  strange,  peaceful  light,  which  made 
it  seem  to  those  who  gazed  upon  her  like  the  face  of  some 
pure  angel. 

There  was  no  thought  then  of  that  deathbed  in  George 
town — no  thought  of  Greenwood  or  the  little  grave  in 
Silverton,  where  the  crocuses  and  hyacinths  were  blos 
soming — no  thought  of  anything  save  the  man  at  her  side, 
whose  voice  was  so  full  and  earnest  as  tit  made  the  re 
sponses,  and  who  gently  pressed  the  little  hand  as  he  fitted 
the  wedding-ring.  It  was  over  at  last,  and  Katy  was 
Morris's  wife,  blushing  now  as  they  called  her  Mrs.  Grant, 
and  putting  up  her  rosebud  lips  to  be  kissed  by  all  who 
claimed  that  privilege.  Helen,  too,  came  in  for  her  share 
of  attention,  and  the  opinion  of  the  guests  as  to  the  beauty 
of  the  respective  brides,  as  they  were  termed,  was  pretty 
equally  divided. 

In  heavy  rustling  silk,  which  actually  trailed  an  inch, 
and  cap  of  real  lace,  Aunt  Betsy  moved  among  the 
crowd,  her  face  glowing  with  the  satisfaction  she  felt  at 
seeing  her  nieces  so  much  admired,  and  her  heart  so  full 
of  good  will  and  toleration  that  after  the  supper  was  over, 
and  she  fancied  a  few  of  the  younger  ones  were  beginning 


The  Cameron  Pride.  407 

to  feel  tired,  she  suggested  to  Bell  that  she  might  start 
a  dance  if  she  had  a  mind  to,  either  in  the  kitchen  or  the 
parlor,  it  did  not  matter  where,  and  "  Ephraim  would  not 
care  an  atom/'  a  remark  which  brought  from  Mrs.  Deacon 
Bannister  a  most  withering  look  of  reproach,  and  slightly 
endangered  Aunt  Betsy's  standing  in  the  church.  Per 
haps  Bell  Cameron  suspected  as  much,  for  she  replied  that 
they  were  having  a  splendid  time  as  it  was,  and  as  Dr. 
Grant  did  not  dance,  they  might  as  well  dispense  with  it 
altogether.  And  so  it  happened  that  there  was  no  dancing 
at  Katy's  wedding,  and  Uncle  Ephraim  escaped  the  re 
proof  which  his  brother  deacon  would  have  felt  called  upon 
to  give  him  had  he  permitted  so  grievous  a  sin,  while 
Mrs.  Deacon  Bannister,  who,  at  the  first  trip  of  the  toe 
would  have  departed  lest  her  eyes  should  look  upon  the 
evil  thing,  was  permitted  to  remain  until  "  it  was  out,"  and 
the  guests  retired  en  masse  to  their  respective  homes. 


The  carriage  from  Linwood  stood  at  the  farm-house 
door,  and  Katy,  wrapped  in  shawls  and  hood,  was  ready 
to  go  with  her  husband.  There  were  no  tears  shed  at  this 
parting,  for  their  darling  was  not  going  far  away ;  her  new 
home  was  just  across  the  fields,  and  through  the  soft 
moonlight  they  could  see  its  chimney  tops,  and  trace  for 
some  little  distance  the  road  over  which  the  carriage  went 
bearing  her  swiftly  on;  her  hands  fast  locked  in  Morris's, 
her  head  upon  his  arm,  and  the  hearts  of  both  too  full  of 
bliss  for  either  to  speak  a  word  until  Linwood  was  reached, 
when,  folding  Katy  to  Ms  bosom  in  a  passionate  embrace, 
Morris  said  to  her, 

"  We  are  home  at  last)— your  home  and  mine,  my  pre 
cious,  precious  wife." 

The  village  clock  was  striking  one,  and  the  sound  echoed 
across  the  waters  of  Fairy  Pond,  awakening,  in  his  marshy 
bed,  a  sleeping  frog,  who  sent  forth  upon  the  warm,  still 
air  a  musical,  plaintive  note  as  Morris  bore  his  bride  over 
the  threshold  and  into  the  library,  where  a  cheerful  fire 
was  blazing.  He  had  ordered  it  kindled  there,  for  he  had 
a  fancy  ere  he  slept  to  see  fulfilled  a  dream  he  had 


408  The  Cameron  Pride. 

dreamed  so  often,  of  Katy  sitting  as  his  wife  in  the  chair 
across  the  hearth,  where  he  placed  her  now,  himself  re 
moving  her  shawl  and  hood;  then  kneeling  down  before 
her,  with  his  arm  around  her  waist  and  his  head  upon  her 
shoulder,  he  prayed  aloud  to  the  God  who  had  brought 
her  there,  asking  His  blessing  upon  their  future  life,  and 
dedicating  himself  and  all  he  had  to  his  Master's  service. 
It  is  such  prayer  which  God  delights  to  answer,  and  a 
peace,  deeper  than  they  had  yet  known,  fell  upon  that 
newly-married  pair  at  Linwood. 


CHAPTER  LIL 

CONCLUSION". 

THE  scene  shifts  now  to  New  York,  where,  one  week 
after  that  wedding  in  Silverton,  Mark  and  Helen  went, 
together  with  Morris  and  Katy.  But  not  to  Madison 
Square.  That  house  had  been  sold,  and  Katy  saw  it  but 
once,  her  tears  falling  fast  as,  driving  slowly  by  with 
Morris,  she  gazed  at  the  closed  doors  and  windows  of  what 
was  once  her  home,  and  around  which  lingered  no  pleasant 
memories  save  that  it  was  the  birthplace  of  baby  Cameron. 
Lieutenant  Reynolds  had  thought  to  buy  it,  but  Bell  said, 
"  No,  it  would  not  be  pleasant  for  Katy  to  visit  me  there, 
and  I  mean  to  have  her  with  me  as  much  as  possible. " 
So  the  house  went  to  strangers,  and  a  less  pretentious  but 
quite  as  comfortable  one  was  bought  for  Bell,  so  far  up 
town  that  Juno  wondered  how  her  sister  would  manage  to 
exist  so  far  from  everything,  intimating  that  her  visits 
would  be  far  between,  a  threat  which  Lieutenant  Bob  took 
quite  heroically ;  indeed,  it  rather  enhanced  the  value  of  his 
pleasant  home  than  otherwise,  for  Juno  was  not  a  favor 
ite,  and  his  equanimity  was  not  likely  to  be  disturbed  if 
she  never  crossed  his  threshold.  She  was  throwing  bait 
to  Arthur  Grvy,  the  man  who  swore  he  was  fifty  to  escape 
the  draft,  and  who,  now  that  the  danger  was  over,  would 
gladly  take  back  his  oath  and  be  forty,  as  he  really  was. 


The  Cameron  Pride.  409 

With  the  most  freezing  kiss  imaginable  Juno  greeted  Katy, 
calling  her  "  Mrs.  Grant,"  and  treating  Morris  as  if  he 
were  an  entire  stranger,  instead  of  the  man  whom  to  get 
she  would  once  have  moved  both  earth  and  heaven.  Mrs. 
Cameron,  too,  though  glad  that  Katy  was  married,  and 
fully  approving  her  choice,  threw  into  her  manner  so  much 
reserve  that  Katy's  intercourse  with  her  was  anything  but 
agreeable,  and  she  turned  with  alacrity  to  father  Cameron, 
who  received  her  with  open  arms,  calling  her  his  daughter, 
and  welcoming  Morris  as  his  son,  taken  in  Wilford's  stead. 
"  My  boy,"  he  frequently  called  him,  showing  how  will 
ingly  he  accepted  him  as  the  husband  of  one  whom  he 
loved  as  his  child.  Greatly  he  wished  that  they  should  stay 
with  him  while  they  remained  in  New  York,  but  Katy 
preferred  going  to  Mrs.  Banker's,  where  she  would  be 
more  quiet,  and  avoid  the  bustle  and  confusion  attending 
the  preparations  for  Bell's  wedding.  It  was  to  be  a  grand 
church  affair,  and  to  take  place  during  Easter  week,  after 
which  the  bridal  pair  were  going  on  to  Washington,  and 
if  possible  to  Eichmond,  where  Bob  had  been  a  prisoner. 
Everything  seemed  conspiring  to  make  the  occasion  a  joy 
ful  one,  for  all  through  the  North,  from  Maine  to  Cali 
fornia,  the  air  was  rife  with  the  songs  of  victory  and  the 
notes  of  approaching  peace.  But  alas !  He  who  holds  our 
country's  destiny  in  his  hand  changed  that  song  of  glad 
ness  into  a  wail  of  woe,  which,  echoing  through  the  land, 
rose  up  to  heaven  in  one  mighty  sob  of  anguish,  as  the 
whole  nation  bemoaned  its  loss.  Our  President  was  dead, 
and  New  York  was  in  mourning,  so  black,  so  profound, 
that  with  a  shudder  Bell  Cameron  tossed  aside  the  orange 
wreath  and  said  to  her  lover,  "We  will  be  married  at 
home.  I  cannot  now  go  to  the  church,  when  everything 
seems  like  one  great  funeral." 

And  so  in  Mrs.  Cameron's  drawing-room  there  was  a 
quiet  wedding,  one  pleasant  April  morning,  and  Bell's 
plain  traveling  dress  was  far  more  in  keeping  with  the 
gloom  which  hung  over  the  great  city  than  her  gala  robes 
would  have  been,  with  a  long  array  of  carriages  and  merry 
wedding  chimes.  Westward  they  went  instead  of  South, 
and  when  our  late  lamented  President  was  borne  back  to 
the  prairies  of  Illinois,  they  were  there  to  greet  the  noble 


4io  The  Cameron  Pride. 

dead,  and  mingle  their  tears  with  those  who  knew  and 
loved  him  long  before  the  world  appreciated  his  worth. 


Softly  the  May  rain  falls  on  Linwood,  where  the  fresh 
green  grass  is  springing  and  the  early  spring  flowers 
blooming,  and  where  Katy  stands  for  a  moment  in  the 
bay  window  of  the  library,  listening  to  the  patter  on  the 
tin  roof  overhead,  and  gazing  wistfully  down  the  road, 
as  if  watching  for  some  one ;  then  turning,  she  enters  the 
dining-room  and  inspects  the  supper  table,  for  her  mother. 
Aunt  Hannah,  and  Aunt  Betsy  are  visiting  her  this  rainy 
afternoon,  while  Morris,  on  his  return  from  North  Silver- 
ton,  is  to  call  for  Uncle  Ephraim  and  bring  him  home  to 
tea. 

Linwood  is  a  nice  place  to  visit,  and  the  old  ladies 
enjoy  it  vastly,  especially  Aunt  Betsy,  who  never  tires  of 
telling  what  they  have  "over  to  KatyV'  and  whose  cape- 
less  shaker  hangs  often  on  the  hall  stand,  just  as  it  hangs 
now,  while  she,  good  soul,  sits  in  the  pleasant  parlor,  and 
darns  the  socks  for  Morris,  taking  as  much  pains  as  if  it 
were  a  network  of  fine  lace  she  was  weaving,  instead  of 
a  shocking  rent  in  some  luckless  heel  or  toe.  Up  stairs 
there  is  a  pleasant  room  which  Katy  calls  Aunt  Betsy's, 
and  in  it  is  the  "  feather  bed,"  which  never  found  its  way 
to  Madison  Square.  Morris  himself  didtnot  think  much 
of  feathers,  but  he  made  no  objections  when  Aunt  Betsy 
insisted  upon  Katy's  having  the  bed  kept  for  so  many 
years,  and  only  smiled  a  droll  kind  of  smile  when  he  one 
morning  met  it  coming  up  the  walk  in  the  wheelbarrow 
which  Uncle  Ephraim  trundled. 

Morris  and  his  young  wife  are  very  happy  together  and 
Katy  finds  the  hours  of  his  absence  very  long,  especially 
when  left  alone.  Even  to-day  the  time  drags  heavily,  and 
she  looks  more  than  once  from  the  bay  window,  until  at 
last  Brownie's  head  is  seen  over  the  hill,  and  a  few  mo 
ments  after  Morris's  arm  is  around  her  shoulders,  and  her 
lips  are  upturned  for  the  kiss  he  gives  as  he  leads  her 
into  the  house,  chiding  her  for  exposing  herself  to  the 
rain,  and  placing  in  her  hand  three  letters,  which  she  does 


The  Cameron  Pride.  411 

not  open  until  the  cozy  tea  is  over  and  her  family  friends 
have  gone.  Then,  while  her  husband  looks  over  his  even 
ing  paper,  she  breaks  the  seals  one  by  one  reading  first 
the  letter  from  "  Mrs.  Bob  Keynolds,"  who  has  returned 
from  the  West,  and  who  is  in  the  full  glory  of  her  bridal 
calls. 

"I  was  never  so  happy  in  my  life  as  I  am  now,"  she 
wrote.  "  Indeed,  I  did  not  know  that  a  married  woman 
could  be  so  happy;  but  then  every  woman  has  not  a  Bob 
for  her  husband,  which  makes  a  vast  difference.  You 
ought  to  see  Juno.  I  know  she  envies  me,  though  she 
affects  the  utmost  contempt  for  matrimony,  and  reminds 
me  forcibly  of  the  fox  and  the  grapes.  You  see,  Arthur 
Grey  is  a  failure,  so  far  as  Juno  is  concerned,  he  having 
withdrawn  from  the  field  and  laid  himself  at  the  feet  of 
Sybil  Grandon,  who  will  be  Mrs.  Grey,  and  a  bride  at 
Saratoga  the  coming  summer.  Juno  intends  going  too, 
as  the  bridesmaid  of  the  party ;  but  every  year  her  chances 
lessen,  and  I  have  very  little  hope  that  father  will  ever 
call  other  than  Bob  his  son,  always  excepting  Morris,  of 
course,  whom  he  has  adopted  in  place  of  Wilford.  You 
don't  know,  Katy,  how  much  father  thinks  of  you,  bless 
ing  the  day  which  brought  you  to  us,  and  saying  that  if 
he  is  ever  saved,  he  shall  in  a  great  measure  owe  it  to  your 
influence  and  consistent  life  after  the  great  trouble  came 
upon  you." 

There  were  tears  in  Katy's  eyes  as  she  read  this  letter 
from  Bell,  and  with  a  mental  prayer  of  thanksgiving  that 
she  had  been  of  any  use  in  guiding  even  one  to  the  Shep 
herd's  Fold,  she  took  next  the  letter  whose  superscription 
brought  back  so  vividly  to  her  mind  the  daisy-covered 
grave  in  Alnwick.  Marian,  who  was  now  at  Annapolis, 
caring  for  the  returned  prisoners,  did  not  write  often,  and 
her  letters  were  prized  the  more  by  Katy,  who  read  with  a 
beating  heart  the  kind  congratulations  upon  her  recent 
marriage,  sent  by  Marian  Hazelton. 

"  I  knew  how  it  would  end,  when  you  were  in  George 
town,"  she  wrote,  "  and  I  am  glad  that  it  is  so,  praying 
daily  that  you  may  be  happy  with  Dr.  Grant  and  remember 
the  sad  past  only  as  some  dream  from  which  you  have 


412  The  Cameron  Pride. 

awakened.  I  thank  you  for  your  invitation  to  visit  Lin- 
wood,  and  when  my  work  is  over  I  may  come  for  a  few 
weeks  and  rest  in  your  bird's  nest  of  a  home.  Thank  God 
the  war  is  ended ;  but  my  boys  need  me  yet,  and  until  the 
last  crutch  has  left  the  hospital,  I  shall  stay  where  duty 
lies.  What  my  life  will  henceforth  be  I  do  not  know;  but 
I  have  sometimes  thought  that  with  the  funds  you  so  gen 
erously  bestowed  upon  me,  I  shall  open  a  school  for  orphan 
children,  taking  charge  myself,  and  so  doing  some  good. 
Will  you  be  the  Lady  Patroness,  and  occasionally  enliven 
us  with  the  light  of  your  countenance?  I  have  left  the 
hospital  but  once  since  you  were  here,  and  then  I  went  to 
Wilford's  grave.  I  prayed  for  you  while  there,  remember 
ing  only  that  you  had  been  his  wife.  In  a  little  box  where 
no  eyes  but  mine  ever  look,  there  is  a  bunch  of  flowers 
plucked  from  Wilford's  grave.  They  are  faded  and  with 
ered,  but  something  of  their  sweet  perfume  lingers  still; 
and  I  prize  them  as  my  greatest  treasure;  for,  except  the 
lock  of  hair  severed  from  his  head,  they  are  all  that  is  re 
maining  to  me  of  the  past,  which  now  seems  so  far  away. 
It  is  time  to  make  my  nightly  round  of  visits,  so  I  must 
bid  you  good-bye,  the  Lord  lift  up  the  light  of  his 
countenance  upon  you,  and  be  with  you  forever. 

MARIAN  HAZELTON." 

For  a  long  time  Katy  held  this  letter  in  her  hand,  won 
dering  if  the  sorrowful  woman  whose  Kfe  was  once  so 
strangely  blended  with  that  of  Marian  Hazleton,  could  be 
the  Katy  Grant  who  sat  by  the  evening  fire  at  Lin  wood, 
with  the  sunshine  of  perfect  happiness  resting  on  her  heart. 
"  Truly  He  doeth  all  things  well  to  those  who  wait  upon 
Him,"  she  thought,  as  she  laid  down  Marian's  letter  and 
took  up  the  third  and  last,  Helen's  letter,  dated  at  Fortress 
Monroe,  whither,  with  Mark  Kay,  she  had  gone  just  after 
Bell  Cameron's  bridal. 

"  You  cannot  imagine,"  Helen  wrote,  "  the  feelings  of 
awe  and  even  terror  which  steal  over  me  the  nearer  I  get  to 
the  seat  of  war,  and  the  more  I  realize  the  bloody  strife 
we  have  been  engaged  in.,  and  which,  thank  God,  has  now 
nearly  ceased.  You  have  heard  of  John  Jennings,  the  no 
ble  man  who  saved  my  dear  husband's  life,  and  of  Aunt 


The  Cameron  Pride.  413 

Bab,  who  helped  in  the  good  work?  Both  are  here,  and 
I  never  saw  Mark  more  pleased  than  when  seized  around 
the  neck  by  two  long  brawny  arms,  while  a  cheery  voice 
called  out:  c Hallow,  old  chap,  has  you  done  forgot  John 
Jennins  ? '  I  verily  believe  Mark  cried,  and  I  know  I  did, 
especially  when  old  Bab  came  up  and  shook  '  young 
misses'  hand/  I  kissed  her,  Katy — all  black,  and  rough, 
and  uncouth  as  she  was.  I  wish  you  could  see  how  grateful 
the  old  creature  is  for  every  act  of  kindness.  When  we 
come  home  again,  both  John  and  Bab  will  come  with  us, 
though  what  we  shall  do  with  John,  is  more  than  I  can 
tell.  Mark  says  he  shall  employ  him  about  the  office,  and 
this  I  know  will  delight  Tom  Tubbs,  who  has  again  made 
friends  with  Chitty,  and  who  will  almost  worship  John 
as  having  saved  Mark's  life.  Aunt  Bab  shall  have  an 
honored  seat  by  the  kitchen  fire,  and  a  pleasant  room  all 
to  herself,  working  only  when  she  likes,  and  doing  as  she 
pleases. 

"  Did  I  tell  you  that  Mattie  Tubbs  was  to  be  my  seam 
stress?  I  am  getting  together  a  curious  household,  you 
will  say;  but  I  like  to  have  those  about  me  to  whom  I 
can  do  the  greatest  amount  of  good,  and  as  I  happen  to 
know  how  much  Mattie  admires  '  the  Lennox  girls/  I  did 
not  hesitate  to  take  her. 

"  We  stopped  at  Annapolis  on  our  way  here,  and  I  shall 
never  forget  the  pale,  worn  faces,  nor  the  great  sunken 
eyes  which  looked  at  me  so  wistfully  as  I  went  from  cot 
to  cot,  speaking  words  of  cheer  to  the  sufferers,  some  of 
whom  were  Mark's  companions  in  prison,  and  whose  eyes 
lighted  up  with  joy  as  they  recognized  him  and  heard  of 
his  escape.  There  are  several  nurses  here,  but  no  words 
of  mine  can  tell  what  one  of  them  is  to  the  poor  fellows, 
or  how  eagerly  they  watch  for  her  coming.  Following  her 
with  greedy  glances  as  she  moves  about  the  room,  and 
holding  her  hand  with  a  firm  clasp,  as  if  they  would  keep 
her  with  them  always.  Indeed,  more  than  one  heart,  as 
I  am  told,  has  confessed  its  allegiance  to  her;  but  she 
answers  all  the  same,  fl  have  no  love  to  give.  It  died 
out  long  ago,  and  cannot  be  recalled.'  You  can  guess  who 
she  is,  Katy.  The  soldiers  call  her  an  angel,  but  we  know 
her  as  Marian." 


414  The  Cameron  Pride. 

There  were  great  tear  blots  upon  that  letter  as  Katy 
put  it  aside,  and  nestling  close  to  Morris,  laid  her  head 
upon  his  knee,  where  his  hand  could  smooth  her  golden 
curls,  while  she  pondered  Helen's  closing  words,  think 
ing  how  much  they  expressed,  and  how  just  a  tribute  they 
were  to  the  nohle  woman  whose  life  had  been  one  con 
stant  sacrifice  of  self  for  another's  good — "  The  soldiers 
call  her  an  angel,  but  we  know  her  as  Marian." 


THE  END. 


Reasons  why 


you  should 
obtain  a  Cat- 


alogue  of  our 
Publications 


A  postal  to  us  will 

place  it  in  your 

hands 


1.  You  will  possess  a  comprehen 
sive  and  classified  list  of  all  the  best 
standard  books  published,  at  prices 
less  than  offered  by  others. 

2.  You  will  find  listed  in  our  cata 
logue  books  on  every  topic  :     Poetry, 
Fiction,    Romance,   Travel,    Adven 
ture,  Humor,  Science,  History,  Re 
ligion,  Biography,    Drama,  etc.,  be 
sides     Dictionaries     and     Manuals, 
Bibles,  Recitation  and  Hand  Books, 
Sets,    Octavos,   Presentation    Books 
and  Juvenile  and  Nursery  Literature 
in  immense  variety. 

3.  You  will  be  able  to  purchase 
books  at  prices  within  your  reach  ; 
as  low  as  10  cents  for  paper  covered 
books,  to  $5.00  for  books  bound  In 
cloth  or  leather,   adaptable  for  gift 
and    presentation   purposes,    to   suit 
the  tastes  of  the  most  critical. 

4.  You    will    save    considerable 
money  by  taking  advantage  of  our 
SPECIAL  DISCOUNTS,  which  we  offer 
to  those  whose  purchases  are  large 
enough  to  warrant  us  in  making  a 
reduction. 


HURST    &    CO.,    Publishers, 
395,  397,  399  Broadway,    New  York. 


ffhe 
Wcrfo 


r]P  HIS  popular  novel  writer 

has    written    a    large 

number    of    successful 

books  that  have  been  widely 

circulated  and  are  constantly 

in  demand.    We  issue  twenty 

of  them  as  below  : 

Aikenside, 

Bad  Hugh, 

Cousin  Maude, 

Darkness  and  Daylight, 

Dora  Deane, 

Edith  Lyle's  Secret, 

English  Orphans, 

Ethelyn's  Mistake, 

Family  Pride, 

Homestead  on  the  Hillside, 

Leighton  Homestead, 

Lena  Rivers, 

Maggie  Miller, 

Marian  Grey, 

Mildred, 

Millbank, 

Miss  McDonald 

Rector  of  St.  Marks, 

Rose  Mather, 

Tempest  and  Sunshine. 

Any  of  these  books  will  be 
supplied,  postpaid,  in  cloth 
binding,  at  3oc. 


Obtain  our  latest  complete 
catalogue. 

HURST  &  CO.,  Publishers, 
395-399  Broadway,  New  York. 


RETURN     CIRCULATION  DEPART/WENT 
TO.—*'     202  Main  Library 
LOAN  PERIOD   I 
HOME  USE 


ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 

month  loan,  may  be  renewed  by  a  ,H,ng  642-3405 

0  "  ^  .o  due  do.e 


DUE  AS  STAMP|D_BELOW 

1  2  1931  ' 


RECCIR  JUL 
flEC 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  BERKELEY 
FORM  NO.  DD6,  60m,  3/80          BERKELEY,  CA  94720  ^ 


961729 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


